A Shadow's Touch
by Status INFLICTED
Summary: Shikamaru's purpose was finally found and his life had changed completely... Who knew being troublesome could be so good? Shikamaru x Harem story. Slight Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood crossover. OOC Shikamaru and PRIDE!Shikamaru
1. Chapter 1

**A Shadow's Touch**

 **Chapter 1: The truth behind the king**

Shikamaru was just an ordinary typical 8 year old Nara child. His gaze was completely unfocused and directed at the sky. His hair was done up in a messy spiky ponytail showing his lack of effort in his appearance. Choji, his best friend, was at a clan meeting and was probably stuffing his face with food. It was characteristic of the Akimichi clan to have massive banquets to go along with their meetings so Choji wouldn't be available for a while.

His other 'friend' Ino Yamanaka had all but abandoned the small trio due to not wanting to hang out with "disgusting boys" as she called it. She was quickly drafted into being the leader of her little group and was determined not to sully her image by hanging out with the "wrong people". So much for childhood friendship. One week at the academy and she had already left them. As a ninja-in-training Shikamaru found it insulting how she treated fellow comrades, abandoning them without hesitation, not to mention her entire 'low-fat diet' and 'beauty routines'.

' _What kind of ninja stays on a low-fat diet anyway? We need that energy. At least most people do, we Naras are as lazy as they come.'_ thought Shikamaru.

Exiting from his musings, he allows his eyes to focus upon the glittering stars in the night sky. From his little clearing and away from the lights of the village, he gets the best view of the night. Each star shines brighter than a gem. His private viewing spot was found after he stumbled upon it while playing a troublesome game of hide and seek a year ago, back when Ino was still part of the trio and he has been coming here ever since. Sneaking out at night had become such a habit that his mother could no longer scold him and has settled for making sure that he was back at meal times instead. She was also pleased that Shikamaru was being more active, or so she thought.

The spot was not too far from his house and Konoha that it would be troublesome to get to but it was not too close that it would be easily found by unsuspecting travellers thus allowing him his privacy. It was a small plateau on the side of a mountain. He found it while climbing a big tree during the game in hopes of an easy win as most people tend to forget to look up. It had a tiny stream of fresh water that trickles down from the mountain with berry bushes that were near it. It had soft green grass with a small boulder lying next to the stream.

He allowed his mind to settle and wander away from thoughts, slipping into a meditative state. Meditation has always felt natural to him, but it probably is a natural trait for a Nara. Taking in the evening air he begins to slowly block out the sounds of nature. He starts with the rustling of the leaves, then moves on to the small noises of wildlife. His meditation was cut short when he hears the slight sounds of angry villagers.

' _What on earth?'_ thought Shikamaru as he slipped silently out of his hiding spot and up onto a tree. While the ninja technique wall walking is not taught until later in a ninja's career, that didn't mean that normal physical techniques don't work. He swiftly moved from branch to branch, each move was carefully calculated to be efficient and precise, borne from years of having to evade an angry Ino or escape his chores from his yelling mother. He passed the Nara wall that surrounds his compound and quickly headed to the source of the noise around 7 metres away from the compound.

Moving closer to the noise he saw a small yellow child running between small gaps in the forest in order to escape a group of eight people. He observed the child's expression of freight and panic as he desperately weaved between trees to evade capture.

"Die Demon!"

"You killed the fourth!"

"My husband died because of you!"

Shikamaru's mind started to process the words of the villagers, his mind going into overdrive in order to come to an intellectual conclusion in 3 seconds.

' _The fourth died while killing the Kyuubi on October 10_ _th_ _8 years ago. These villagers are attacking a small child that seems to be blamed for the death of both the fourth and various other people. While it is possible for a child to be a killer and even a lucky shot being able to kill a kage, would the child not have killed the villagers in retaliation? Also the child has a face of panic and fear, if it was a thousand year old demon it would have more wisdom and experience and would not be stricken by panic. Also if the child was a reincarnation of the Kyuubi then it will have no knowledge of what it had done, therefore making it an innocent soul. Reincarnation however is highly sceptical so I will need more information. Now however, I will help the child, Kyuubi or not, as from my deductions the child is innocent. Troublesome.'_

Without jutsu at his disposal he was at a major disadvantage. Diplomacy was an option but a highly unlikely one as the villagers are currently in a rage, escape was an option albeit a temporary one, killing was not an option as it might spark more hatred to the child and he did not have the means to do so anyway regardless of how tempting it was. Moving quickly he positioned himself above the child and waited until the child his covered behind a tree. He scooped up the child quickly and covered their mouth. Hiding in the foliage, he had to stay absolutely silent as he tried to hide his disgust as something wet the licked his hand in hopes he will let go.

"Please stop struggling or the villagers will hear you" Shikamaru whispered as he wraps his free arm around the struggling person's waist in order to stabilise them both.

The child stopped struggling and froze as they watched the villagers run right under their hiding spot. Only once they pass did the child relax.

* * *

Naruto had just been kicked out of the orphanage. The matron had stated that it doesn't cater to demons and had promptly thrown Naruto out onto the streets. Normally this would not be a problem as she would always just hide in a dumpster nearby to sleep for the night and tell the kind Oji-san up in the tower that she had gotten kicked out. The Matron would be taken into custody and a new one would be there, only for the same thing to occur a month or a week afterwards. The orphanage kids would often pick on Naruto and bully her, which would be encouraged by the matron who would only serve her scraps. The Oji-san would often have to take care of her when she was little as the matron refused to wash or care for her.

However, today was different. Today the ANBU guard that normally watched over her without her knowing were gone as they were required to report to the Hokage about a security breach in the village. They discovered a few of the ANBU in Naruto's security guard were attempting to kill her. Unfortunately for Naruto, she also happened to be thrown into the path of a group of civilians that were returning from a long night at the bar.

"Look here, isn't that the demon brat?"

"We can finally have our revenge"

Hearing those words, Naruto instantly shot up and ran in the opposite direction of the voices. She had been called demon enough times to know that bad things happened to her when people said "demon" and "revenge".

She had been chased into the forest surrounding the village and was desperately trying to find a path to escape. While on the path to the forest more and more people had joined up with the original group while the rest cheered on from the sidelines or ignored her. She didn't know how many people exactly as she dared not to look back for fear that if she did, she would trip and fall. She had just positioned herself out of the villagers' line of sight when a sharp yank pulled her off the ground and into the tree, a hand quickly closing over her mouth to silence any screams. She struggled until she heard a calm voice speaking to her.

"Please stop struggling or the villagers will hear you" the voice said as she felt a thin arm wrap around her waist. She froze. She had not been hugged by someone in a long time. While she used to get hugged by her Oji-san, he had been too busy to visit her due to problems with the civilian council. Watching as her pursuers ran off deep into the forest she let herself relax into the warmth.

* * *

Shikamaru knew that if he let both of them down here there was a high chance that the villagers might wander back and see them so he swung the child onto his back and snuck though the trees back to his hideout. The child's arms were tightly wrapped around him as if they were confirming his existence. He absentmindedly noted that despite the child's short stature, their arms were surprisingly soft and gentle.

The trip to the clearing was silent, with both kids understanding that they should not talk until the both of them were safe. Naruto gawked at the skill Shikamaru was showing, each move was done smoothly and swiftly with seemingly no hesitation. She focused upon her saviour and observes all that she could see. He had a spiky messy ponytail that tickles her face if she moves too much and pale skin. His shoulders are broad but he had a thin frame to go with it. She could not see his face but he must have been small for his age. He probably had a mask like the neko ANBU that occasionally plays with her. She once saw neko beat up some bad men who were going to harm her so she knew that this person must be extremely skilled as well.

Once they reached the clearing Shikamaru placed her down gently before he moved to the small stream and drank water to calm his adrenaline.

"Troublesome" he muttered, slightly out of breath from the effort that he had just exerted.

Naruto still couldn't see the 'ANBU's' face but she knew that he didn't have a mask by the way he was scooping up water to drink.

"Hey, Anbu-san, thank you for saving me, I don't think I would have made it if you didn't" said Naruto as she bowed sincerely to Shikamaru.

At this Shikamaru was confused, _'What ANBU? I thought it was just me… wait a second.'_

"Hold up there, are you talking to me?" asked Shikamaru as he turned around to give the child an incredulous stare, "I am 8 years old and have no intention of doing something so troublesome, besides I am not even a ninja yet."

Naruto lifted her head up in shock to find the gaze of two onyx eyes staring back at her. The incredibly short 'ANBU' was actually a relatively tall 8 years old. She allowed herself to immerse into his eyes and saw the tired and wary emotions in them as well as the hint of concern that was buried behind them.

"Wait, if you are not a ninja, then how did you do all of those awesome moves?" she asked.

"That was mostly just practice and calculation, I have had to escape many troublesome and violent women in my life so I had to find some way to escape" replied Shikamaru as he lays himself down onto the soft grassy area.

Naruto carefully walks over to Shikamaru like a timid and cautious deer before she decides to lie next to him to rest her tired limbs.

"Thanks for saving me, I haven't had many people who care about me other than Oji-san, so you are one of my precious people now" she said after a minute of silence.

"Sure" said Shikamaru, "Too bad my secret place is now compromised"

"Compromised?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, it means that it is exposed, brought out into the open. In other words it is no longer a secret" said Shikamaru.

"Oh sorry for bothering you," Naruto said as she held back tears, "It must be why people don't like me, I am always a bother"

"No!" Shikamaru said quickly as he shot up into a sitting position in order to convey his seriousness, "You are not a bother; I was just hoping that this would remain my secret spot for a while longer. Nobody finds me here and it allows me to not get screamed at by my mum. She always is screaming me to do stuff and she tries to change me into someone I am not. I like her and all as she is my mum, but sometimes she is just a bit much"

"Really? I am not a bother?" asked Naruto timidly.

"Yeah, you don't hit me and you aren't yelling at me every few seconds so you are alright" said Shikamaru as he allows himself to lie down in his former position and rest.

"Thank you so much" Naruto said as she pulled Shikamaru over for a hug.

"It is alright" he replied as he allows himself to awkwardly return her embrace.

The two of them settle into silence as the stared up into the stars with Naruto hugging Shikamaru's side and Shikamaru wrapping a comforting arm around Naruto.

"Oh yeah, what is your name Hero-san?" asked Naruto as she turns her gaze to Shikamaru.

"I am Shikamaru of the Nara clan, nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you Shika-kun, I am Naruto Uzumaki of no clan"

"Shika-kun?" asked Shikamaru curiously.

"Yeah," said Naruto "Do you like it? All the other kids at the orphanage give their friends nicknames"

"Sure, it is nice Naru-hime" Shikamaru said teasingly. The name is girly and the use of the girlish suffix will allow for him to determine if Naruto was really a girl since she had an androgynous appearance.

"Hime? Why hime?" asked Naruto inquisitively.

"Well you did call me Hero-san, so since I am a hero then you must be the princess, am I right?" Shikamaru chuckled jokingly until he feels a small shaking and sob coming from the young girl he was holding.

"Oh no, what is wrong? Did I make you mad? You don't like the nickname?" Shikamaru asked quickly as he starts to panic. He holds Naruto in a comforting manner and strokes her side to calm her down.

"It's okay. I am just s-so h-happy. No o-one has e-ever called me a-anything other t-than a demon, and to be called a p-princess I…" Naruto stuttered as she tried to speak through her sobs before she buried herself into Shikamaru's chest.

"It is okay hime-sama, I am here" Shikamaru whispered as he rubbed Naruto's back.

As Naruto's sobs slowly die down Shikamaru held Naruto tight and comforted her, ignoring the wet stains that he felt on his shirt.

"Shika-kun?" asked Naruto quietly, "I know that this is no longer a secret place for you anymore but can it be our secret place? Just the two of us?"

"Of course" Shikamaru said with a smile, "It can be our little secret"

"Promise?" asked Naruto as she brought out her pinkie.

"Of course" responded Shikamaru as he wrapped the petite finger with his own, "It is a promise"

Both of them stopped for a second to savour the moment before they returned to stargazing. After a while Naruto started to fidget and upon closer inspection, Shikamaru could tell that she had a question that she really wanted to ask but was too afraid to say. Shikamaru let out a sigh before he stroked Naruto's hair to help her relax.

"You know, if you have a question you can ask. I don't mind at all" said Shikamaru.

"I thought you said that you didn't like people who were noisy and talk a lot" said Naruto as she gazed at Shikamaru shyly.

"I don't like people who disturb silence for no reason and make it awkward when it is silent" replied Shikamaru, "Either that or you are the exception to the rule"

Naruto blushed at the response. She took a few breaths the calm her beating heart before she passed out in embarrassment. Finding her courage again she began to talk again.

"Why did you help me?" asked Naruto quietly, "Most people would just leave me alone"

"Why should I not help you? I analysed the situation and saw an innocent person in need and I helped them out" replied Shikamaru, "It was obvious was it not?"

Shikamaru turned his gaze from the stars to Naruto's eyes; they reminded him of the blue sky that he likes to watch. He then noticed that her eyes were becoming more and more watery by the second. Before he could even say another word Naruto tackled him in an embrace and continued to mumble words of thanks into his ears.

' _I think this is going to happen a lot tonight'_ thought Shikamaru as he once again comforted Naruto.

"It has been so hard! I never thought I would get a friend. And I was always jealous of other people having friends and I wished for just one. And then the old lady at the orphanage was so mean as well as every other old lady after that and it hurt! No one cared for me. And all the other people would pick on me. The girls even cut my hair to make me look bad! And I was super sad. And ten Ji-san was nice for a while then he got busy and I was alone again!" Naruto said in between sobs as she buried her face into Shikamaru's chest once again, "Please, please, please don't leave me! You are my first and only friend! I don't wanna be alone! Please stay with me!"

"It is okay, it is going to be okay. I will be with you, I promised didn't I?" said Shikamaru as he stroked Naruto's back, "We will always meet each other here and we are going to be friends forever okay?"

Naruto could only nod as she sobbed into Shikamaru's shirt, clutching it tightly.

' _What did Ino's dad once do when Ino was crying? Oh yeah,'_ thought Shikamaru as he gently parted Naruto's fringe and placed a small kiss upon her forehead. He then patted her head gently, making sure to rub circles on her back as well.

Naruto felt a soft kiss being placed upon her forehead and froze. Her face instantly became red and she felt as if her temperature rose by 100 degrees. She melted into Shikamaru's arms feeling safe for the first time in forever. Both children eventually fell asleep in each other's arms, drifting off under the pale moonlight.

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not a happy man. He was forced to remove all of the ANBU guards that were watching Naruto as there was a few among its members who were not only shirking their duty but actively seeking the death of Naruto. To say he was mad would be an understatement. Not only that, but his surrogate granddaughter was left without a guard due to all of them having do go through security checks to make sure that no one was out to harm her. If a single ANBU was left behind, they may have the opportunity to kill the unsuspecting girl. He could only hope that the new matron that he picked yesterday would be kind to her or at least have common sense to not throw out a child.

The traitorous ANBU were detected through help of Inoichi Yamanaka and were instantly subdued.

"How many of my men have betrayed me?" asked Hiruzen.

"3 out of 7 of the ANBU guard force for one Naruto Uzumaki my lord" said Inoichi, "One was simply ignoring their duties while the other two were actively trying to sabotage the guard force"

"I see" Hiruzen said as he turned to face the ANBU, "I want the rest of the guards to return to their post quickly while I deal with the trash. As for the traitors, I will make my displeasure known should any harm befall Naruto due to your incompetence."

The loyal guards bowed once before darting out of the office to return to their post, not before sending one last dirty look at the three traitors.

"Now, all three of you along with the other ANBU were given a task. A task I specifically chose you for from the hundred other ANBU I have in my ranks. Not only have you failed but you have the audacity to try to sabotage your own mission. The only guard position more important than protecting Naruto is the guard position protecting me" said Hiruzen, restraining his fury, "ANBU, kill the two who were plotting against an innocent girl, but leave the third one alone, she has a choice."

The hidden ANBU guards swiftly decapitated the two main culprits in the room. It was so quick that the two didn't even know that they were dead before they hit the floor. The guards then quickly took the two bodies and disappeared as if they were never there. The third ANBU could barely breathe with the amount of fear in her body. She could only pray that the Hokage was feeling merciful tonight.

"As for you, take off your mask. You are no longer part of ANBU. You are hereby demoted effective immediately to your original position as a Chunin. Fail me again and I will not hesitate to kill you Kurenai, I understand that your father's death was hard but I cannot condone you risking the life of an innocent girl. You are lucky that you were only neglecting your duties, had you joined the other two in sabotaging them I would have killed you as well" said Hiruzen, "I wonder what Anko will say once she hears of your betrayal. She is in a similar situation as Naruto you know"

Kurenai could only wince at the sound of her best friend's name if she were to find out then she would probably get pranked really bad, not to mention that she would probably lose her friendship as well.

"I have never felt so disappointed in someone since my former student. I wonder what Asuma will say once he returns from the Fire Daimyo's ninja guard force" Hiruzen muttered.

Kurenai instantly paled, her love interest was not someone who would take betrayal lightly and she would probably ruin all chances for a relationship with him if he finds out about this.

"Please Lord Hokage, I will do anything to rectify my mistake and lack of care. I can move past this. I can change my lord" pleaded Kurenai.

"One chance" was all the Hokage said before he dismisses her with a wave. Before she could go however, one of the ANBU guards who were supposed to guard Naruto had returned.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto is missing and the matron is refusing to talk!" said the man, "I am only here to notify you sir and I must continue my search! If I cannot find her I will do 100 push up with only a finger!"

The man disappears leaving a nervous Kurenai in front of a glaring Hokage.

"Find. Her. Now. Or you can kiss any chance of promotion goodbye" said Hiruzen calmly as he restrained his temper.

"Yes sir" Kurenai said quickly as she left to search the village for any sign of the blonde girl.

"I hope you are safe Naruto" she said quietly, "both for your sake and mine"

* * *

After searching for 3 hours and only finding the culprits of the chase, the ANBU along with Kurenai had returned to the Hokage office to report a failure. Each ANBU was glaring at Kurenai with intensity, including Kurenai's now former friend Neko. Kurenai could only look at the floor in shame.

"We will continue this search in the morning and get the Inuzuka clan to help as well. Interrogate the culprits for any information before executing them, I want them dead by morning" said Hiruzen, "And Kurenai, I hope she is safe for your sake. I know that you are trying to make up for your mistake but I don't think that your comrades will forgive you so easily should something happen to Naruto."

"I fully accept responsibility for my actions" Kurenai said softly, "If she is not found, I will retire from the shinobi forces"

The glares of the ANBU softened after hearing her words, glad to see that she had changed for the better. While the other two were traitors, Kurenai had been closer to the group as they were of the same graduating class and her subsequent lack of professionalism had hurt them the most.

"I see… Rest up all of you, we have a long day tomorrow" said Hiruzen.

Shikamaru slowly eases out of his drowsiness upon the first rays of sun falling upon his face. Noticing that his blanket is warmer than usual he reluctantly opens his eyes to see yellow. He also realises that one hand was trapped beneath the girl and it was extremely numb. He freezes. He was pretty sure that Ino would never have a sleep over with guys now that she had her new friends and on top of that they haven't talked for months since the academy started.

' _Okay Shikamaru, use your intellect. Retrace your steps. Parents were arguing again. I went out to the hideout. I enjoyed watching the stars. Then I heard some screams and I became a hero… It sounds like a drag… How do I get myself in these situations?'_ thought Shikamaru, _'I better wake her up or my mum will have my head for being late to breakfast.'_

Gently running his free hand through Naruto's hair he attempts to sooth her awake.

"Time to wake up hime-sama, it is morning now" said Shikamaru softly.

Naruto slowly opens wakes and stiffens at the unfamiliar care she was shown. Shikamaru feels her grip tighten around him as she lifts her head from his chest to look at him. Now under the bright light of the sun Shikamaru absentmindedly notes that the scratches that he once thought were dirt marks from the ground were actually birthmarks. Naruto's eyes stared intensely at him as if to confirm he was real, revealing to Shikamaru the loneliness and hope within her baby blue eyes. Finally confirming that Shikamaru was not an illusion she promptly pulls him into another hug, this time much gentler then her previous embraces as if she was scared that he would shatter if she was too rough.

"Thank you my hero" she said softly.

They stayed in the position for a little while before separating though they kept their hands linked together. After Naruto releases him from his embrace he saw that his shirt was covered in tear stains and snot. Naruto upon seeing the stains blushed a deep red.

"Sorry, I ruined your shirt" she said.

Shikamaru just chuckles and waves it off.

"I will admit this is going to be troublesome to explain to my mum but it isn't a big deal" laughs Shikamaru. _'What I really want to know is why I am so happy and energetic. Normally I would be complaining like no other time. Not only that, I seem to not be tired… Either I am still dreaming or something has changed… I must meditate on this later'_

"Explain…Oh no! Oji-san is going to be so worried! He normally sends someone to check on me every morning! What am I going to do?!" Naruto says as she begins to panic.

"Don't worry, I will bring you there. You can't climb through trees after all, plus I am faster. Besides it is still early, which is a weird new concept for me. Mum won't expect me until at least 3 hours later" Shikamaru responds, "Besides the hero has to escort the princess to safety right?"

"You would do that for me?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Come on before I change my mind" Shikamaru replied but with none of his usual drawl, "Just climb on my back and hold on tight"

Naruto shyly climbed onto Shikamaru's back before he began his trek back through the forest and to the tower.

"Thank you Shika-kun"

"Anytime Naru-hime"

The trip through the forest was quick due to Shikamaru's exceptional memory and skill. After making sure to keep the rustling of the leaves quiet whenever he saw a passed out civilian, they reached the village. In memory of last night's hostile reception for Naruto, Shikamaru decided that spending the extra time to climb and scale a wall of a random house in order to travel by rooftop was worth avoiding the hassle of having to endure the glares of early civilian merchants.

"Hey Shikamaru, why are we going on the rooftop of this house? We are supposed to go to the Hokage's tower" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, I figured that you mean the Hokage's tower Naruto. It is just better if we go there by rooftop. You can avoid all of the bad people who want to hurt you that way. I don't want to deal with any of the people from last night" responded Shikamaru as his pulled them both up onto the rooftop, "You are very light you know that? My… former friend would love to know how you kept so thin"

"Oh…" Naruto said as her smile drops, "They would only ever feed me scraps back at the orphanage so I didn't eat much"

"Oh… You are never going back there" Shikamaru said with more determination that he had ever felt in his life, "I will find some way to take care of you, there is no way you are returning there"

Naruto instantly brightened upon hearing those words. Unable to speak in happiness, she tightened her arms around Shikamaru slightly to convey her appreciation. Shikamaru adjusted his grip once more to make up for the new closeness and continued navigating the rooftops of Konoha.

It was 6 o'clock in the morning and every single ANBU from Naruto's guard force was present with the addition of Kurenai who looked as if she had barely any sleep at all.

"At 1800 hours yesterday, your charge Naruto Uzumaki had gone missing. Your job is to search for any traces of her and with luck find her as well. Any signs of hostility towards the girl are to be subdued and brought back for questioning. I would order you to kill them but I think Ibiki and Anko are running out of toys" said Hiruzen as he paced in front of the ANBU to ease his worry. The tracking crystal orb that was used to track his shinobi only worked for ninja with the Konoha forehead protector. It was why missing-nin slashed their forehead protector; the slash is used to disrupt the seal matrix to prevent the tracking of the ninja. The only reason why most missing-nin do not throw the forehead protector away is because bounty collection offices only deal with ninja or licenced bounty hunters.

"Now, retrieve my granddau-" Hiruzen said before he was cut off by a Naruto bursting through his office door.

"Morning Oji-san!" exclaimed Naruto happily as she grinned at the stunned Hokage.

"Naruto, I have already figured that you and the Hokage are close but rushing through without knocking is considered rude you know" Shikamaru said as he walked in at a leisurely pace to stand beside Naruto and drag her back out, "Look, Hokage-sama is in an important meeting with his ANBU"

"Oh sorry Jiji, I didn't know it was rude. I'll just go back outside until you are done, later!" Naruto said as she allowed herself to be dragged off by an amused Shikamaru.

The occupants of the room could only stare at the duo blankly until the sound of the door closing shook them out of their stupor.

"Well… I can tell this is going to be a headache. A polite Naruto, a Nara that actually doesn't seem all that lazy and the fact that I woke up at 5 in the morning for this…" said an amused ANBU, "Better you then me Hokage-sama"

Hiruzen could only rub his temples tiredly. _'I am getting way too old for this'_ he thought as he tried to stave off the oncoming migraine.

"You know what? Get out of my sight before I make you guys do my paperwork for me" retorted Hiruzen. The ANBU were gone as soon as they heard the word paperwork.

"Send Naruto and her new friend in please" Hiruzen said exasperatedly.

The door opened and Naruto and Shikamaru strode in.

"Morning Hokage-sama, mission save the princess is complete with no casualties and problems sir" Shikamaru said jokingly, allowing himself to enjoy in some 8 year old fun.

Naruto stared in awe at Shikamaru and exclaimed, "Ha! I knew you were ANBU! You must be one of those prodigies!"

"It was a joke Naruto, I already told you I wasn't a ninja didn't I?" Shikamaru said kindly as he gently ruffled Naruto's hair, "I didn't want to deal with something too serious in the morning. That would be too troublesome"

"Oh… I knew that" Naruto said with a huff as her cheeks slightly reddened.

Hiruzen could not help but smile at the scene. _'Ah to be young again'_ he thought _'Wait, why is Naruto's hair so much shorter? It was at back length before but it is at shoulder length now. I will ask her later.'_

"So, how exactly did you two meet?" asked Hiruzen.

"Well it started when the naggy old lady at the orphanage threw me out again like all of the other old ladies. She said it was because my hair made a mess of her floor. It's not my fault the other girls decided that my long hair looked pretty. They cut it cus they said that they should have prettier hair then a demon. Anyway, after she threw me out these bad guys saw me and started chasing me. A whole bunch of people joined in so I ran to the trees. I ran and ran as hard as I could! It was scary Jiji!" said Naruto as little tears started appearing as she recounted the memory.

Shikamaru quickly reached out and took Naruto's hand and gave it a little squeeze to reassure her. Naruto smiled at the gesture and nodded in response.

Hiruzen's expression darkened at the thought of Naruto's treatment at the orphanage. It seems as if regardless of who he put in charge, they would always be discriminatory towards Naruto.

"Please Naruto, continue" Hiruzen said sadly.

"Well, I ran into the forest to lose them but they weren't giving up. So I started to dart between trees to confuse them. Just when I thought I was going to collapse, Shikamaru yanked me up a tree. Then he brought me to his secret spot and we watched the stars until we fell asleep" finished Naruto, smiling happily at the memory before she glanced at the stains on Shikamaru's shirt and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh yeah, I sorta messed up Shikamaru's shirt… do you think you can get him a clean one?"

Hiruzen just laughed at the scene. _'I am relieved that after all that has happened, Naruto can still act like an 8 year old'_ he thought.

Hiruzen stood up from his seat and walked up to a nervous Shikamaru. He stopped a respectable distance away before bowing to the young child. Shikamaru could only drop his jaw in surprise at his village leader showing respect to him.

"I thank you for saving my granddaughter. Who knows what could have happened if it wasn't for you" Hiruzen said kindly, "though I am not sure where to find a shirt your size in my office"

"My p-pleasure Lord Hokage" spoke a shocked Shikamaru, "I couldn't let the villages harm an innocent girl. Don't worry about the shirt, it is honestly fine"

"Now, usually the hero deserves a reward upon returning the princess to the kingdom… How about an A-ranked pay and a record as the first civilian to ever complete a mission. The mission details will be classified of course" stated the Hokage.

"A-ranked pay?!" said a shocked Shikamaru, "that is worth a small apartment"

"Yay! Shikamaru is awesome! Not even a ninja and he completed an A-rank" said Naruto, exuberant of the knowledge that her best friend was awesome, "I knew fairy tales were real!" She then promptly tackled Shikamaru in excitement.

The Hokage allowed his face to shift into a teasing grin, there was no way he was going to let her through this scene without some retribution after all of her pranks on him, "I also seem to remember that the princess usually gives the hero a kiss upon her return"

The duo froze for a moment before the both blushed red. They looked at each other for a moment before turning to look the other way. That was when they realised that they were still hugging and they promptly leaped away.

Naruto glanced shyly at the red Shikamaru before she hesitantly spoke, "Well, those are the rules. And I don't think I will mind if it is you Shika-kun"

Shikamaru just spluttered incoherently before finally calming enough to speak words, "Are you sure? I am lazy, slothful and not popular. I am not really strong, I am average looking and I don't have a horse. Also we just met yesterday so you don't really know me well"

"But you are kind and you saved me. So therefore you are my hero" Naruto said with all the seriousness her 8 year old body could muster.

Shikamaru just sighed, knowing that he was defeated. He kneeled down on one knee and placed one arm across his chest. "Then I accept whatever favour my lady brings to me"

Naruto gingerly walked towards Shikamaru's kneeling form and placed a quick peck on his cheek. Both of them reddened and quickly returned to their standing positions as if nothing had happened, the only evidence being their blushes.

' _It was as if Kushina and Minato were alive again. Though Naruto is less tsundere and more honest towards her feelings than her mother. I really wish the both of them were here to see this'_ Hiruzen laughed.

"Well the both of you should probably go. I hope to find a good matron this time so it will be better at the orphana-" said Hiruzen.

"No" interrupted Shikamaru, "No offence Hokage-sama but I do not trust the orphanage to take care of Naruto. I have deduced that the civilians of the village hate Naruto for some reason, probably dealing with the Kyuubi from their word choice. If that is the case I cannot allow Naruto to return to her tormentors"

Hiruzen just looked on, surprised at Shikamaru's intellect. _'The way his deductions seem to flow. Not only that, he figured out Naruto's connection to the Kyuubi. The only other person who I know of such calibre is Shikaku'_

"You must be Shikaku's son then" said the Hokage calmly. Seeing Shikamaru's cautious nod he continues, "Your father must be very proud. While I can see your points, I am afraid that I don't know where Naruto is to live otherwise."

"Then I will take care of her, as her best friend that duty falls to me" spoke Shikamaru calmly, "in addition, due to the A-ranked pay I should be able to take care of Naruto if I am careful with my money."

Hiruzen looked from Shikamaru's serious face to Naruto's shocked yet hopeful look. After a moment of deliberation he opened his desk and threw a bulky envelope into Shikamaru's hands.

"Here is your A-rank pay. I was going to just forward it to your parents via the clan head for them to manage but I believe that you will do just fine."

"Thank you Hokage-sama" Shikamaru said as he bowed in gratitude.

Naruto just gawked and change her gaze from Shikamaru to Hiruzen, then back to Shikamaru before she allows the words to finally register and tears to fall from her eyes.

"Thank you Shikamaru" Naruto said sincerely giving him the brightest smile he had ever seen, "You are the bestest friend ever"

Shikamaru just smiled and gently patted her head, "best friends forever okay?"

"Okay" replied Naruto as she wiped her tears away, "you must think I am a cry baby"

"Crying with happiness is never wrong, at least that is what my dad said once when he came back from a really tough mission" responded Shikamaru.

' _Biwako, I hope you are watching from heaven. Your granddaughter is in good hands. How I wish you could see this dear'_ thought Hiruzen.

"Shikamaru, Naruto, I need you both to listen to me very carefully. Naruto's connection to the Kyuubi is an S class secret that can only be told by me or by Naruto herself. Right now I cannot tell you the secret since I worded the law in such a way so that I cannot tell it to civilians. This was done to protect you. Unfortunately one of the council members who were at the meeting exposed it to the village. By the time we found out, all of the villagers knew what had happened. I promise to tell you the secret once you are Genin" spoke Hiruzen sadly.

"Oji-san, am I the Kyuubi?" asked Naruto as she began to tear up again.

"No! God no! You are not the Kyuubi understand?" responded Hiruzen.

Naruto nodded in acceptance before she felt herself being pulled into a hug by Shikamaru.

"It doesn't matter anyway, I will protect you regardless. Even if you were the Kyuubi, all I know is that you cannot remember anything and therefore you are a clean slate. I would save you regardless" Shikamaru said softly as he stroked her hair.

Hiruzen smiled at the duo before dismissing them from his office. Before they walked out Hiruzen gestured for Naruto to come to him and give him a hug.

"Be careful not to let this one go, I approve" Hiruzen whispered before he gently pushed the red faced blonde towards a confused Shikamaru. Before either of them could open the door to get out, the door slammed open, pushing Shikamaru onto the ground, leading to Naruto to franticly check on the growing lump on Shikamaru's head.

A frantic Yoshino Nara rushed into the office dragging her still asleep husband appeared in front of the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, my son is missing! He hasn't turned up for breakfast and he was missing all of last night. The last time I saw him was at dinner time. Shikaku! Why the hell are you still sleeping? Your son is missing!" screamed Yoshino.

Shikaku just drowsily opened his eyes at Yoshino and sighed before stating, "If you would just let me explain woman, then you would know that I bought a sealed hair tie for Shikamaru to wear. As long as he is safe my corresponding bracelet will be still. I bought it as soon as Shikamaru started to hang out outdoors rather than at home. If you think that I spend all of my mission money on alcohol with Choza and Inoichi then you must be crazy woman."

Yoshino just looked at her husband in a stupor as he returned to his nap, completely ignoring her presence. A cough by the Hokage pulled her out from her shock. As she turned to address the man she was greeted by a Cheshire grin and an index finger pointing to something behind her. Quickly turning around she sees son being fussed over by a young blonde girl.

"Shikamaru here was actually quite busy last night. He managed to save young Naruto here from some drunken villagers. He had done the equivalent of an A-ranked mission by himself at only 8 years old. You should be very proud of your son" said Hiruzen as he gazed at the children nostalgically.

Shikaku immediately opened his eyes at the words A-rank and darted over to Shikamaru with speed Yoshino had forgotten that he was capable of doing. Shikaku started to check Shikamaru and Naruto over and after seeing no serious injuries, he ruffled both of their heads, lifted both of them onto his shoulders with surprising strength, and walked out of the office.

Yoshino shook herself out of her shock and bowed once to the Hokage before rushing after her husband.

Once she left the Hokage instantly steeled his expression.

"Boar, call in Naruto's guard force again. I want them to search the forest and bring every civilian they find for questioning. I want the perpetrators to be in the interrogation department in 10 minutes" commanded the Hokage.

Immediately a hidden ANBU appeared, bowed, and left.

* * *

The journey towards the Nara compound was quick and quiet. The usually headstrong matriarch was quiet and meek, trudging behind Shikaku instead of dragging Shikaku somewhere like normal. Naruto and Shikamaru, sensing the tension between the grownups, decided to settle for holding each other's hands while riding on Shikaku's shoulders.

Once returning to the compound he gestures to Shikamaru and Naruto to go play for a bit before he walks into the compound and sits at the table. Yoshino followed in before quietly sitting in front of Shikaku. Shikaku stared at Yoshino quietly for a minute before he began to speak.

"I am disappointed in you" spoke Shikaku softly as Yoshino flinched and bowed her head down, "You would think so little of me? You think I do not worry for my only son, our very own flesh and blood?"

Yoshino knew that she had screwed up badly. She chose not to speak lest she make the situation worse. She couldn't even muster the courage to look Shikaku in the eyes; her shame would not let her.

"I know that you are a strong woman, it was why I fell in love with you. I didn't mind the nagging regardless of how annoying it got after a while because I knew that that was how you showed you cared for me, but you never allowed me to speak my side. You stopped listening to me" Shikaku said in a level tone, "You haven't really listened to me since before Shikamaru was born. Ever since you started hanging out with that coffee group, you haven't listened to me since. Why you would listen to advice from unhappy divorced women is beyond me, but I put up with it. Today you crossed the line"

Yoshino could not stop the tears as they cascaded down her face. She knew that Shikaku had never been disappointed in her before. He had always loved her even when she over reacted and had always spoken in a lazy loveable drawl in order to calm her. She did the only thing she could think of. Placing her hands on the floor she placed her forehead as close to the ground as she could and spoke.

"I am so sorry. I have been a terrible wife to you. Please forgive me" she said as she sobbed, "I thought that advice from more experience women would allow me to be a better woman for you. I am just a civilian shinobi that fell in love with a clan heir. I just wanted to be worthy"

Shikaku sighed as he slowly brought his wife up and embraced her, gently stroking her back as she clutched his shirt tightly.

"It is alright, just promise me you aren't going to follow whatever advice you get from the coffee group. Seriously, they are divorced single women who are probably jealous of a woman who actually succeeded in marriage, to a clan head as well. You women are ruthless I swear…" said Shikaku jokingly as he lightened the mood.

Yoshino just nodded into his shirt and gave a bone crushing hug to Shikaku. After she had calmed down she gave Shikaku a quick peck on the lips before loosening her grip on him, not completely letting go in hopes that he doesn't disappear.

"I am quitting the coffee club, and I will tell both Miyako and Asami to quit as well. No way I am hanging out with a bunch of jealous hags" responded Yoshino.

"Inoichi and Choza will be pleased" laughed Shikaku.

Yoshino cuddled with Shikaku for a bit before saying, "You know… we haven't had make-up sex before…"

"Sweetheart, the kids are right outside. We will do make-up sex later" said a blushing Shikaku.

"Alright, I will hold you to that Kaku-kun" said Yoshino teasingly before she went to call in the kids, hips swaying all the way.

"That woman is going to be the death of me…" grumbled Shikaku as he allowed his eyes to fall onto her swaying hips, "I hope Shikamaru decides to sleep outside again"

Naruto and Shikamaru sat in front of Shikamaru's parents, happy that the previous tension had evaporated.

"Mum, Dad, I would like you to meet Naruto, my new best friend. I would like her to be able to live with us if possible" said Shikamaru, "the orphanage didn't really treat Naruto nicely and I told the Hokage that I would take care of her."

Yoshino and Shikaku shared a glance with each other and silently nodded.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Although you have to do just one thing…" said Yoshino as both Shikamaru and Naruto gulped, "You must both eat more! Look at how skinny you are Naruto. We are going to fix this!"

Both Shikamaru and Naruto watched in awe as Yoshino seemingly pulled out food from nowhere and instantaneously set up the table.

"Come now, eat up!" she commanded as soon as she was done.

Naruto and Shikamaru could only glance at each other and shrug.

"Itadakimasu!" they said in unison before the dug in.

Dinner was filled with laughter and happiness as Naruto experienced her first family meal.

"Who knew my little Shikamaru would turn out to be such a hero? My baby boy has come so far!" exclaimed a proud Yoshino as she heard of Naruto's retelling of her rescue, "You hear that dear? We have hope for grandkids!"

Shikaku could only laugh at the embarrassed kids, "I am proud of you son."

"Thanks dad, how about a shogi match later?" asked a happy Shikamaru.

"Uhh…" he said as he shot a sideways look at his wife, "We will play tomorrow. I am busy today with missions and clan stuff. Why don't you play with Naruto today, we can organise her room in the afternoon"

"Sure dad, no worries" said Shikamaru as he gave his parents a suspicious look before shrugging it off as too 'troublesome'.

Naruto immediately took Shikamaru's hand and lead him outside saying something about Ichiraku Ramen and showing him off to Ayame-nee and Ichiraku-jisan.

Watching the duo slip out of his house he sighed in relief. He turned around to look at his wife only to freeze as he watched her loosen her yukata.

"Master, I have been a bad kitty…" purred Yoshino as she crawled on all fours towards her husband.

' _God I love this woman…'_

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to go by rooftop again? Most of the civilians are on the street right now" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, I can't hide forever" said Naruto softly as they entered into the busy streets of Konoha, "Ichiraku is actually very close to the Nara compound now that I think about it"

Shikamaru just nodded in acceptance and allowed Naruto to guide him as he gazed at the clouds. His musings were cut off when he felt the glares of the citizens begin to grow as they walked. He felt Naruto's grip tighten as she plastered a fake smile onto her face. Squeezing her hand in comfort he decided that he would protect her no matter what. If he didn't, he didn't know who else would.

"Oi kid!" shouted one of the older villagers, "You should stay away from the brat if you know what is good for you"

Shikamaru ignored the man's calls and gave Naruto a reassuring look.

"Yeah, stay away from her, she isn't good news you know" said another.

More and more villagers started to try and convince Shikamaru to leave Naruto but each time he ignored them with his usual lazy look as if nothing in the world mattered. One of the women attempted to drag him away from Naruto, immediately he took offence to that.

"Oi, I am not interest lady! Mum told me to be careful of old ladies who liked to play with boys" Shikamaru shouted, making sure that he had his completely innocent 8 year old look on his face.

"Old? I am only 27 you brat!" screamed the woman with a huff.

"Oh my god she wants to play with me, she didn't deny it! Let's go Naruto! She is one of them bad women!" Shikamaru said while he dragged a giggling Naruto away from the bewildered crowd and the red faced woman.

The two quickly entered the ramen stand in order to quickly escape the stupefied crowd before they caught on to Shikamaru's prank. A scream of outrage sounded across the village from the street along with accusations of "cradle robber" and "cougar" joining into the village din.

"I can't believe you just did that" giggled Naruto as she tried to catch her breath after laughing too hard.

"What good is intellect if you don't use it?" joked Shikamaru, "besides, it was merely a harmless prank"

"Did you get one of your friends involved in your pranks Naruto? What happened this time?" asked a teasing Ayame, "Pranks so early in the morning, honestly"

"Aww, you are embarrassing me nee-chan" said a pouting Naruto, "and it is not my fault this time, Shika-kun completely embarrassed a mean lady on his own! It was so awesome! He only used a simple sentence and he got maximum embarrassment!"

"Wow, you must be very clever! Shika-kun was it?" asked a curious Ayame.

"It is Shikamaru Nara actually, I am pleased to meet you" replied Shikamaru with a bow.

"Well then, I am Ayame Ichiraku, waitress at Ichiraku Ramen Stand. It is nice to meet you too" responded Ayame before she called out to the back, "Dad! Come meet Naruto's new friend!"

"Coming sweetie!" replied a grumbly voice as an old man emerged from the back, "Nice to know that Naruto now has a new friend"

"Nice to meet you, I am Shikamaru of the Nara clan" said Shikamaru with a respectful bow.

"No need to be so formal" laughed Ichiraku, "My name is Teuchi Ichiraku but you can call me the Old Man"

Shikamaru nodded in acceptance before he was dragged along by Naruto into a seat beside her. Naruto ordered 4 bowls of miso and pork ramen while he just stuck with one miso.

' _Honestly, we just had breakfast. How can she eat that much? Maybe it is because she doesn't always get food… Banish those thoughts Shikamaru, she is safe now.'_ He thought as he lazily stirred the noodles in his bowl. By the time he looked up again Naruto was already onto her second bowl. He watched in amazement as she demolished the second one just as fast.

"Oi Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you to mind your manners? I thought I told you that a lady has to eat properly!" scolded Ayame.

Naruto just smiled sheepishly with a noodle moustache. Shikamaru could not help but laugh at the incredibly cute sight. Naruto instantly turned red as she remembered that Shikamaru probably saw her demolish her food. Now eating at a slower pace she attempts to look dignified, completely not noticing the noodle moustache she has on her lip. Shikamaru only laughed harder before making weak gestures towards her lips. Naruto licked her lips and found the noodle moustache on her face and turned beet red. Ayame and Ichiraku only smiled at the scene. Deciding to allow Naruto some relief they asked her how she met Shikamaru. Naruto instantly brightened and began her story with many gestures and exclamations, with the addition of the recent scene in the market place.

"And he said, "Let's go Naruto! She is one of them bad women!" and ran off with me in a tow, leaving the village thinking that she is a cradle robber" giggled Naruto, "It was awesome dattebayo!"

"Wow, good job hero-kun!" said Ayame, "Now we know why Naruto likes you so much"

"Good job, I approve" said Teuchi teasingly.

Naruto returned to making her best rose impression again.

"Anyway, you said something about pranks?" said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, Naruto here is quite the hellion. She pranks the villagers every now and then. I heard that she pranks her teachers at the academy as well. Quite the troublemaker that one" replied Ayame.

Shikamaru just raised an eyebrow at Naruto who looked to be thoroughly embarrassed.

"Only cus the teachers at the school are mean and don't teach" replied Naruto, "Plus they are so boring!"

"You go to the academy as well?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, but I started 2 years early and failed both times so I am still in first year" said Naruto sadly, "But I will pass and I will show them all dattebayo!" she continued with determination.

"Hey, maybe I can help you later. We might even be able to get you transferred to my class" said Shikamaru as he smiled at Naruto's brightening face.

Naruto quickly ate up the rest of her ramen before tugging at Shikamaru's arm to go. Shikamaru sighed before he pointed at his half-finished bowl. Naruto twirled her hair embarrassedly before sitting back down.

"You can help me finish if you want, I am still full from breakfast" said Shikamaru before he sees his bowl disappear and reappear empty.

Shaking his head at Naruto's eating speed he pulls out his wallet to pay the bill. As soon as he was about to pay he sees both Ayame and Teuchi shake their heads.

"This one is on the house in celebration of Naruto's new friend. Besides, you deserve a reward for saving little Naru-chan" said Teuchi.

"I will at least pay half of it. I cannot accept such generosity" said Shikamaru determinedly as he left 500 ryo on the table, "If not then take it as a tip"

With that he quickly left with Naruto in a tow before they could argue.

"He is a good young man" said Teuchi as he picked up the ryo before a teasing smirk appeared on his face, "Naruto has a good man at 8 years old, when are you going to find one?"

"DAD!"

* * *

Both Shikamaru and Naruto greeted the kind receptionist before they entered the Hokage's Office.

"Remember to knock" reminded Shikamaru as he saw that Naruto was about to burst in again.

Naruto nodded and knocked on the door 3 times before the doors swung open.

"Ahh you two again, what can I do for you?" asked Hiruzen as he glared at the pile of paperwork before him. _'I wonder if I can just burn it all away'_ he thought.

"We were just wondering if you could transfer Naruto over to my class. Apparently the teacher in the other class doesn't like Naruto and doesn't teach her anything" said Shikamaru.

Hiruzen's eyes shot up at the statement before he snapped his fingers and an ANBU appeared right next to him.

"So cool" Naruto said absentmindedly as she looked at Neko in awe.

"Notify the principal that Naruto is to be transferred over to Shikamaru's class and that her previous sensei is to be retired from his position. He will also be doing D-Ranks for the rest of the year for no pay" said Hiruzen as Neko shuddered at the thought of D-Ranks and quickly used a shunshin to notify the headmaster.

"Anything else I can do for you both?" asked Hiruzen.

"Nope" said Naruto cheerfully, "Thanks for the help Jiji!"

"Thank you Hokage-sama" said Shikamaru as he gave him a respectable if slightly lazy bow.

Hiruzen just chuckled at how much of Kushina was in Naruto. _'She may have Minato's looks but she definitely has Kushina's spirit'_ he thought before he glared back at his paperwork.

"Where to next Shikamaru?" asked Naruto as she gave the receptionist a goodbye wave.

"I guess we can see how Choji is doing. He was busy in a clan meeting yesterday so I didn't go over to his house. Good thing too am I right?" said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, come on I want to meet your friend" said Naruto excitedly, "Maybe he can be my friend too"

"I am sure he will" said Shikamaru as he walked at a leisurely pace towards the Akimichi compound which was actually right next to the Nara's lands.

* * *

Arriving at the Akimichi compound, Shikamaru knocked on the gate once and waited for reception. The Akimichi compound was large and spacious due to having less land and more housing for the big-boned clan members. Due to their bone structures, the Akimichi clan were normally front-line fighters and heavy hitters, and due to the Akimichi jutsus requiring a lot of fat to burn, they were also the owners of various restaurants. Many Akimichi who didn't become ninja became chefs due to the clan's renowned love of food.

After a short while of waiting, an Akimichi guard kindly greeted Shikamaru before showing the duo in. They were lead through the wide corridors with strong wooden beams supporting them. Delicious smells of various dishes filled their nostrils as they moved further and further into the compound.

Finally stopping at Choji's door, they knocked once before sliding the door open to see Choji and an unknown girl chatting about various dishes and restaurants. The girl had long brown hair and soft brown eyes. She was a little plump for her age with round cheeks.

Shikamaru coughed loudly to attract the duo's attention before he gave the two a teasing smirk, "Should I come back later? You seem busy today."

Choji and the girl blushed before quickly shaking their heads.

"I could say the same to you Shikamaru" replied Choji as he gestured towards the mop of blonde hair hiding behind Shikamaru.

Shikamaru just laughed in response, "It seems that I am not the only one who has to introduce new friends" he said as he stepped aside to reveal a cautious but smiling Naruto who gave them both a small wave in greeting.

"Well, let's introduce our new friends first" said Choji as he got up from his seated position, "I would like to introduce you to Ayako Ayazuka. She is the daughter of our family's business partner. It was why we had a clan meeting yesterday"

"Nice to meet you" said Ayako said brightly.

"Same to you Ayako-san" responded Shikamaru and Naruto.

"As for this young princess here," Shikamaru said as he patted Naruto's head, smiling at the cute pout he got in return, "is Naruto Uzumaki. I stumbled upon her yesterday when she was… having a bit of trouble. She is staying with me from now on due to some troublesome situations."

"It is nice to meet the both of you and I hope that we can become great friends" said Naruto as she gave a polite bow to the both of them.

"Wow, you went out of your way to help someone? What happen to the lazy Nara that I know?" asked Choji teasingly as he gave a playful punch onto Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Spontaneous reaction" Shikamaru said blankly, "I may be lazy but there is no way I wouldn't stop to help someone"

"Haha! I knew you were a softie inside" laughed Choji, "not so lazy after all"

"Yeah, I guess not" Shikamaru said softly.

"Shika-kun is awesome!" exclaimed Naruto as she began to open up to the group, "I was in real big trouble and I got kicked out of the orphanage because… it was too full. The old lady was mean anyway. Shika-kun then offered me a place to stay and everything"

"How kind of you Shikamaru-san" praised Ayako.

"Well I couldn't leave her out on the street could I?" Shikamaru said as he went with Naruto's story. It was her story to tell, not his own. "Anyway, why don't you tell us about your meeting?"

"Well, it was a typical clan meeting. My father decided that it was time for me to start learning the ways of the family business. My family grows crops and other staples to supply to the Akimichi restaurants so we are close business partners. We simply started talking at our family meeting cus we were the only kids around. The rest is simple." Ayako replied.

"Yeah, I didn't even know we had so much in common" said Choji, "I am sorta glad that I didn't skip out on the clan meeting, no offence Shikamaru"

"Don't worry, I feel the same way" responded Shikamaru as he waved away the apology, "I wouldn't have met Naruto if that had happened so we are even"

"Yeah I guess we should skip out on less clan meetings then" said Choji as both Ayako and Shikamaru stared blankly at him before the three burst into laughter.

"Yeah… not happening. It is basically a tradition for heirs to skip out on meetings. I am not dealing with more responsibility before my old man forces me to take the title, too troublesome" said Shikamaru.

"Those are so boring! It is not fair that the other kids get to play" grumbled Ayako, "Besides, I told my dad I would only do it once. If I come along he might drag me to go every single time"

Naruto just stared confused at the three as they laughed, "What is so bad about clan meetings? Isn't that where you meet up with family and friends?"

Choji and Ayako opened their mouth to protest before Shikamaru quickly silences them with his hand quickly covering their mouths. A quick shake of the head indicates to the two of them to stay silent before they put their foot in their mouth. Shikamaru turns towards Naruto and gently pats her head.

"I know that, since you have no experience with family, a clan meeting sounds really nice. Unfortunately you know the saying of too much of a good thing isn't all that good right?" said Shikamaru carefully.

Naruto nods in response.

"That is essentially what happens. Too much and they become overbearing, too little and we feel neglected. That is just how families are. Everyone needs a bit of time away and some people get more of that time than others" he says as he brings her into a gentle hug, "And some are just too alone that they are starving for family, one side will always envy the other. That is just how it is. All we can do is try to reach that middle ground"

Shikamaru holds that position for a little while as Naruto gathers herself from her emotional reaction to having a family, as well as Shikamaru's insightful speech. Nodding once more she pulls herself back and gives Shikamaru a smile.

"Thanks Shika-kun, I needed that" said Naruto.

Shikamaru nodded in response and turned to face an awestruck Choji and Ayako.

"Wow you are smart… I knew it from the thrashing you gave me in shogi but this…" Choji said as he tries to process what had just happened before him.

"I feel like my brain power just increased from being near you" said Ayako who is in a similar state to Choji.

"Glad to be of service" Shikamaru said dryly, as he gives the duo an irritated look.

Ayako quickly turned to Choji and whispered not-so-quietly, "I thought you said that he was a typical smart lazy-ass"

"I thought so too" Choji replied as he promptly ignored the overt twitches of annoyance coming from Shikamaru and Naruto's stifled giggles.

"You know what? How about a game of Shogi?" asked Shikamaru as he pulls out a shogi set from seemingly nowhere, "We didn't get to play a game yesterday so I think that now would be a good time to make up for lost time. Ayako can help you as well."

Both Ayako and Choji shivered at the cold stare that they were getting from Shikamaru as Choji reluctantly sets up his side of the board.

The game was over in 5 minutes.

Shikamaru mercilessly captured each one of Choji's and Ayako's pieces one by one leaving nothing but the king. He started with the pawns, then the lances, the generals, and quickly worked his way up to the king resulting in a complete victory over the duo. Naruto just stared in awe at Shikamaru's intellect.

"Another game?" asked Shikamaru with a cold smile as he begins to set up the pieces, never once taking his eyes off the duo.

Both Ayako and Choji shook their heads quickly.

"How about Naruto? She should be able to play right?" suggested Ayako.

Naruto looks up excitedly, eyes gleaming for a chance to play in a game with friends. "Yeah, please teach me Shika-kun"

Shikamaru softens his gaze and begins explaining the rules of the game. Shikamaru explains the roles of each of the pieces and their representation of each aspect of the player's life. He gets to the king and pauses. The piece that had once represented him no longer held true to that meaning. The king was what the army protected. His recent actions had shown that not only did he not protect himself, but he pushed to the frontlines to accomplish his goal. That was the work of a horse or a lance, not a king.

' _By that logic the king should be…"_ thought Shikamaru as he looked at the cluster of amazed faces, each entranced with the story of each piece. _'Yes, the king is…'_

"The king represents whatever you choose to protect. It is the purpose within the army. Without it, the army is lost, lazy, sloppy, and uncoordinated. Regardless of the army's power and strength, without the king, the army has lost the battle before it even begins, even in victory." Shikamaru finished.

"Wow!" said Naruto as she looked at each wooden piece in a new light. Both Ayako and Choji only nod in agreement, too stunned by the multiple revelations that they had been bombarded with by Shikamaru.

Shikamaru notices the slightly vacant expressions on Ayako and Choji's faces and he decides to leave the two to process the information that he had unknowingly deposited into their brains.

"Come on Naruto, we can play some other time. I think it is getting late in the afternoon and mum will want us back by dinner" said Shikamaru as he packs up the board and places it on Choji's desk.

Both Shikamaru and Naruto quickly bid their goodbyes to the duo before leaving the compound and back to Shikamaru's home.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hello, I finally have a break and this is my comeback! I am now 18 and I'd like to think I have grown as a writer and as a person. For now I hope you enjoy this Harem x Shikamaru story since I think he is a brilliant character that would have been amazing if he was just given the chance. I hope that everyone enjoys it. If you do then you can go join my Pa Treon the Pat reon site /StatusInc to support my stories. I am sorry for the delay but I hope that this is worth it... For those who love my guilty crown work, don't worry, I'll get back to it soon enough...


	2. Chapter 2

**A Shadow's Touch**

 **Chapter 2: Within the Shadow**

Naruto and Shikamaru entered the compound to find a happily grinning Shikaku going over the Konoha newspaper and Yoshino casually setting up the table with a barely hidden satisfied expression. Shikaku glanced up from his newspaper and gives the duo a nod before returning to his paper.

"Dinner's ready" said Yoshino as she quickly brought in the food.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at his parents' strange behaviour before deciding to investigate and find out how he could make this occur more often so that he could nap in piece more.

"Did your mission go well dad? It is unusual for you to be so active after a mission. Normally you are just napping afterwards" said Shikamaru.

"It went very well," said Shikaku in response, inwardly wincing at why his son decided to stop acting lazy now of all times. He knew that there was no way to keep the grin off his face so he had to convince his extremely perceptive and intelligent son that his lazy character actually enjoyed a mission… joy, "It was a new type of mission that didn't involve much running about, I did quite well on the mission and I won't have to do much of the previous type anymore"

"I see…" Shikamaru said as he quickly turned towards his mother, "Aren't you normally mad at dad for something? What is with this change? What happened?"

Yoshino blushes a little before she quickly used her shinobi experience to contain it, however she was still unsuccessful in containing her smile.

"Are you saying that I am always arguing with your father?" she says with a huff, "Besides, your father did so well on the mission that he will be doing that specific mission a lot. This means that he will be home in time for dinner more often and less lazy"

Shikaku choked a little after Yoshino's little addition before he disguises it as a cough for attention.

"Anyway, why don't we start eating before the dinner gets cold, you know how your mother is with cold food" said Shikaku as he quickly stated his thanks and started eating, consciously ignoring his wife's amused chuckle.

Naruto, oblivious to all that had just happened, quickly followed suit. "Itadakimasu"

Shikamaru gave one last inquisitive look at his parents before he too dug in, missing his parents' sigh of relief.

Upon finishing dinner the duo announced that they would be sleeping outside tonight as well and left with Shikamaru taking the Shogi board along with him.

"So… I am doing this mission more often then?" Shikaku chuckled as he turned around to see a wanting look in his wife's eye, "Oh you were serious?"

"I have more than 8 years to make up for, I have been absolutely horrible for you and I am going to make up for every single moment. Shikamaru was right. I would always nag you when I knew it wasn't your fault. I… I…" said Yoshino as she began to tear up.

Shikaku quickly embraced her as tears once again traversed across her face. He comforted her to the best of his ability and stroked her back gently.

"It is alright. I once told you that I would love you from best to your worst… that oath holds true to this day" said Shikaku.

Yoshino allowed her tears to calm before she captures Shikaku's mouth in a passionate kiss.

"I am one lucky woman" Yoshino said as she quickly created one Kage Bunshin, "allow me to show my appreciation"

 _'God I love this woman'_

* * *

Shikamaru once again hefted Naruto's form onto his back and traversed the forest of the Nara compound with practiced ease. During the travel Naruto decides to ask more about the Nara forest.

"The Nara forest is made up of similar trees to Konoha's forest. I actually brought you into this forest yesterday. This forest is where we cultivate our deer as well as other medicinal herbs. That is the livelihood of our clan. We also have a wall that separates the Nara forest from the rest of Konoha. It has a detection seal as well as an intent seeking seal. The seals are Fuinjutsu that find out if the person is an intruder or not. If they are an intruder, the barrier will go up and prevent them from entering. I just so happen to have my hair tie which acts as a key to the seal, thus allowing you to enter" responded Shikamaru.

"Wow, it sounds really cool" said Naruto, "Do you think I can make seals like that?"

"Maybe once you learn enough about it. Sealing is a dying art due to its dangerous nature as well as the number of years it requires to safely master. A seal takes time to prepare and it takes years to master the art. One wrong stroke in the seal and it will either fail or explode. The last seal master who used seals frequently was the Yondaime Hokage" replied Shikamaru, "On top of that you have to find a teacher first. The only teacher I can think of is the Gama Sennin, Jiraiya. He is also a self-proclaimed super pervert."

"How do you know all this?" asked Naruto.

"As clan heir, I still have a responsibility to ensure the future of our clan. With near eidetic memory, reading books and knowing about clan affairs is a main part of my position" replied Shikamaru, "The memory enhancement and our shadow jutsu is a genetic trait passed on by the main branch of my family, as is the laziness that we have. The other members of my clan are actually people whose ancestors once asked my clan for aid. While we are a clan, most of the clan is not related to each other by blood."

Shikamaru climbed up the final tree and into the secret place. He sets Naruto down and they both sit on the soft grass once more. Shikamaru begins to set up the Shogi board as Naruto curiously asks, "Can you tell me more about your clan before we play? I want to know more about you and your customs"

Shikamaru looks up and catches Naruto's soft gaze, "Why though? It isn't necessary for you to learn about them"

Naruto averts her gaze with a red blush as she says "I want to be able to impress your parents. You are now giving me a home; if I learn about the clan then I can be part of the family"

Shikamaru just smiles at Naruto and reaches over to pat her head once more.

"I am sure that mum and dad consider you their daughter even if it is not official. You are my new best friend, that goes beyond being a sister doesn't it? You don't need to learn about the clan to be family" said Shikamaru kindly.

Naruto gives a small pout with her adorable eyes and Shikamaru gives in, "Fine, if it will make you feel better" said Shikamaru, "Don't blame me if you get bored though"

"The other people of the clan only asked for our help because they were poor and no other shinobi would help them due to their lack of funds. We Naras, while lazy, decided to help them in return for them taking care of our animals and medicine growth. We completed the task due to our intellect and got rid of their problem. Unlike many other clans we knew that bad treatment towards other people caused problems so we didn't make the people slaves but adopted them into our clan instead. It was also helped by the fact that we were too lazy to go out of our way to show dominance. Thus the small family of Shadow ninjas became a clan.

We Naras are naturally lazy and we prefer to take up roles that are less active. The only reason I am a shinobi is because every shinobi clan must have the clan head and heir serving in the shinobi corps. I thought I could become one of them seal masters and avoid being in the front lines. With no teacher however, I had to give up on it. Normally the Naras are paired up with the Yamanaka and Akimichi clan in order to create a capture and interrogation squad. It is an alliance that happened due to the Yamanaka clan and our clan having support type jutsu as a bloodline limit and the Akimichi needing the crops that the Yamanaka clan provides as well as our medicine. The alliance might be weakening though due to the recent formation of the Ino-Shika-Cho combination not being likely to form and the Akimichi expanding on trade deals for food" said Shikamaru as he finished giving a brief summary of how the clan came to be and as well as the clan's current position, "Without the alliance our clan will most likely be devoured in the political field with our only ally being the Akimichi"

Naruto senses the sadness in Shikamaru and she gives him a big hug. They remain in that position for a while before Naruto finally speaks.

"Is this why you said that clan meetings and everything were something that you wanted to avoid?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah… sorry for giving you this burden. I had planned to keep these thoughts a secret to my grave. The other clan heirs don't have any idea of what is actually going on in clan affairs and are mostly used as political pieces by their clan. The Nara clan makes sure that we are ready as we don't have the strength or numbers of the other clans. Unfortunately most of the other clans want the Nara medicine and land in order to boost their power. The only reason why we joined Konoha was because if we didn't, we would lose our lands and be annexed"

"That is so unfair!" exclaimed Naruto, "Why couldn't they all just get along"

"I wish that was true Naruto, but the truth us much uglier than that. I am sorry you must carry this burden. I guess I wasn't as strong as I thought. I didn't think that I would eventually crack like that" said Shikamaru softly, "Once I started, I guess I couldn't stop"

"It is okay Shika-kun, you helped me through my most difficult times, I am just happy to be here for yours" replied Naruto as she continued her embrace.

"Yes but I completely destroyed your image of the clans. I had hoped that you would never have to deal with the clan politics. Plus if you did, then you would be in alliance with the weakest clan of Konoha. Our power is fading and all we have to defend ourselves are our shadow capture techniques" said Shikamaru sadly.

Naruto grabs him and gently guides his gaze to look directly into her eyes.

"It doesn't matter I owe you my life Shikamaru. Without you, I would probably be dead. We are best friends and I am not going to leave you alone because of some other clans getting greedy" said Naruto with as much determination that she could muster, "You may be lazy but you are there when it counts. Honestly, I don't know why everyone calls you lazy. You have been very active in my opinion."

Shikamaru simply smiles at the thought of what he would have said 2 days ago if somebody would have told him he would have become this active in such a short period of time.

"Well in my defence, I really didn't have any motivation to be active until I met you" said Shikamaru.

Naruto just blushed in response and quickly turned towards the shogi set.

"Come on, enough talking about sad stuff, let's start playing shogi! I am going to completely thrash you!" said Naruto in declaration.

"Haha, bring it on Naruto" Shikamaru responded, happy at Naruto's enthusiasm.

* * *

"You know, you are very good for a beginner Naruto" said Shikamaru as he finally captured Naruto's king. The game had lasted for an entire hour with calculated moves and unexpected traps. It ended up being a very close match with Shikamaru winning by a few key pieces. Naruto had played unpredictably and outside of Shikamaru's experience, forcing the strategist to think on his feet for more than a few exchanges.

"You still won though, and I am sure you were going easy at the beginning" replied Naruto as she laid down in mental exhaustion.

"That was my fault for underestimating you. As a shinobi, that could mean life or death. I hope we have a few more games sometime, I need to brush up on thinking on my feet" said Shikamaru as he packed up the pieces, "For now, I think we both need a break"

Naruto just nodded as she stared out at the evening sky, watching as the previously blue heavens fade into an orange glow. Shikamaru just smiled at the sight.

"Beautiful isn't it?" asked Shikamaru, prompting another nod in response.

After a minute of silence Naruto started to open her mouth then close her mouth in succession. A puzzled look appears on her face as if she is struggling on how to ask a question. Shikamaru noticed this and decided to speak up.

"If you have something to say, you can say it to me. I am your best friend, it is literally my job to listen to you" said Shikamaru with a joking smirk, "besides, your face gives your intention away"

Naruto gave Shikamaru a pouting glare which only succeeded in eliciting a chuckle from Shikamaru before she gave up on the failed intimidation attempt.

"Jerk, I was trying to say something fancy like you do all the time" said Naruto as she turns away with a huff, "tried so hard in coming up with something as well" she adds in a much softer voice.

Shikamaru, with the silence surrounding them catches the second statement and once again brings Naruto in close.

"Just be yourself, you don't have to try to be something you are not. Often when you do, you lose a part of yourself in the process. Fancy words come from wisdom, not the other way around. You don't need to show it because you are brilliant already. Leave the words to the politicians and enjoy being yourself" said Shikamaru.

"There you go again…" said Naruto as she playfully nudges Shikamaru's side, "alright then smart-ass, then tell me this, why did you never allow your king to go into check regardless of how better it would be when the situation calls for it? I noticed it back when you were playing against Choji and Ayako as well"

Shikamaru pauses for a minute before he answers, "I didn't even notice it. It was only a few days ago when I would not hesitate to place my king in any danger, I guess I have changed since meeting you. I still will risk the king to protect it, but I am no longer as reckless I guess."

Naruto blushed at the response and asked with a small stutter, "W-what do you mean?"

"You know how at first you thought the king was the player right? Well I was like that at first until I saw the king for what it really is. Having something to protect brings in an entirely new perspective on the game and focuses my mind on the purpose. The thought of risking people who are precious, people who are innocent, in order to gain my victory would never reach my mind at all" said Shikamaru, "I guess protecting you has left a great impact on me"

Naruto turned bright red and she focuses herself on the stars that are just twinkling into life.

"You know what? I am glad I got chased after the orphanage" said Naruto with a great determination, "because of it I gained the bestest friend in the world, who just happened to be my hero as well. I bet that no other girl can say that"

Shikamaru just smiled sadly, "I suppose in a way, I agree… But I wish I had known about all of this sooner. If only there was a way…"

"But there isn't. No use worrying about what things might have been. All we can do is move on forward and into the bright future" Naruto said passionately as she jumps up and points at the stars for emphasis.

Shikamaru looks at her stunned for a second before she chuckles again in amusement, "Like I told you, be yourself and your brilliance will shine through… Now who is the wise one?"

Naruto smiles brightly in response and gives Shikamaru another big hug, "Thanks Shika-Kun"

"You're welcome Naru-Hime" replied Shikamaru as they both fall asleep under the stars.

The next morning the both of them wake up to the rays of the morning sun once more. The birds chirps greet them morning as the rub away at their drowsy eyes. Shikamaru got up and began to do some stretches to wake up his nerves before he went to the stream to grab a quick drink.

"This place is amazing, I can't believe that you own such a place" said Naruto as she takes a sip of the fresh water, "I would love to live here"

"Well, consider this place your home now. Not like you live at the orphanage anymore so…" said Shikamaru as he gave her a shrug "Might as well claim up this place."

Naruto smiled at the thought, but before she could respond her stomach grumbled loudly.

"Come on, I am sure we can get some food once we go back" said Shikamaru as he headed towards the exit.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she said as she quickly jumped on Shikamaru's back and pointed in the vague direction of Shikamaru's house, "Onward!"

Shikamaru looks up at Naruto's criminally cute and very excited face before he resigns in defeat and accepts position as the noble steed.

"Troublesome" he mumbles as he once again traverses the treetops of the Nara forest.

* * *

Upon arriving home he is greeted by the surprised faces of his parents as they watch him leap off of a tree with Naruto on his back. Both of them look at each other before looking at Shikamaru with worried glances.

"Are you feeling alright Shikamaru?" asked a concerned Yoshino.

"If it is about the landing, then I am fine" Shikamaru said calmly as he gently placed Naruto on the ground.

"But you were just carrying Naruto on your back…" Yoshino said slowly.

"Yes?" Shikamaru said equally slowly, "Is there a problem?"

"Did you happen to eat something strange?" asked Shikaku as he examined his son curiously.

"Why is everyone asking" said a mildly annoyed Shikamaru.

"Well," Yoshino and Shikaku said in tandem before Shikaku motions for Yoshino to continue, "You have not been lazy at all and you are actually carrying Naruto…"

"Not only that but you are here early and at the crack of dawn. You are actually going to be early to the academy for the first time since you started a week ago" said Shikaku as he began to check his son's temperature.

"I feel fine. Honestly… Show up on time and they treat you like plague" grumbled Shikamaru, pointedly ignoring Naruto's sniggers.

"Well…" Yoshino said as she gave Shikamaru one last careful glance, "Let's eat breakfast then. Honestly… Nag they said... Do it enough and it will fix things they said… I nag for 8 years and no effect! The moment I stop and the world turns upside down. I am going to kill those women…"

Shikaku sent an amused look at his wife's murderous mutters and ushered the confused children into the house.

Naruto sends Shikaku a worried look as she whispers, "Why is she talking about killing people?"

Shikaku just chuckled and whispered back, "It turns out that the advice that some women gave her actually was extremely ineffective and it hurt both me and Shikamaru a lot. They basically said to shout at us until we get up. Since she figured out that doing it was a mistake, she is not very happy at the women at all"

Naruto's face forms into a scowl as she crosses her arms with a huff, "Anyone who hurts precious people are going to get a taste of the prankster queen"

Shikamaru's face darkened as he said quietly, "So you mean that they were the reason I had to endure so many interruptions to my nap time?" Shikamaru turned to Naruto and said, "You have my help"

Shikaku allows himself a grin as he chose to pretend that he didn't hear anything for plausible deniability once the pranks had occurred. Justice tasted so sweet.

* * *

After a hearty breakfast, Naruto and Shikamaru decided to head off to the academy. They arrived at the academy early which was quite a change for the perpetual latecomers.

"Why don't I show you where your new classroom would be? That way it will be less troublesome for you afterward" asked Shikamaru as he began to lazily drag his feet towards the classroom.

Naruto just followed eagerly behind, keeping in close proximity with Shikamaru as she had never had a friend in the academy before. Shikamaru noticed Naruto's slight nervousness as they kept walking down the hall so he quickly grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze in order to reassure her. Naruto responded with a grateful smile as she squeezed back.

They arrived at the door to see a busy Chunin teacher sorting out files and paperwork. The teacher's eyes were tired and his slumped posture indicated that he was bored out of his mind. Shikamaru gently knocked on the door and enjoyed the look of shock and bewilderment on his face. Naruto quickly started giggling as she witnessed her future teacher start to pinch himself in an attempt to check if he was awake.

"Morning Iruka-sensei" said Shikamaru once Iruka had stopped his reality checking.

"You are early for once… Are you feeling ok Shikamaru?" asked a concern Iruka.

Shikamaru just sighed once again as he nodded his head in resignation, "I am just here to show Naruto to her new classroom. I am assuming that you were notified?" he said as he gestured to Naruto.

Iruka looked surprised to see Naruto as a brief look of pain entered into his eyes before he straightened himself out, "Ahh yes, Uzumaki-san. I was notified indeed and I hope that you will enjoy my classes."

Naruto bowed to Iruka politely before finding her voice, "Thank you Umino-sensei. Please treat me kindly."

Iruka just nodded in acceptance before he returned to his pile of paperwork. He paused for a bit before he turned his head back to Naruto.

"I would like to quickly say that I will treat you no different from any other student. I am perfectly professional when it comes to my work. In return I ask that no pranks be pulled on me" Iruka stated, "Deal?"

Naruto instantly brightened up and grabbed Iruka's hand tightly before shaking it.

"Deal" she replied.

Iruka nodded before he turned to Shikamaru, "Now… since you are both here, I suppose I should reward the good behaviour. While there isn't much I can do, I suppose I can open up the library for you both to occupy your time. The librarian isn't here so I doubt she will complain. Just promise that you will not damage any of the books" Iruka as he glanced at the duo in question. Seeing their nods in response, he grabbed his stack of paperwork and guided them to the locked door of the library. With a quick click, the door opened and they were free to explore the wealth of knowledge that lay inside.

"I know that the librarian is quite… unaccommodating to certain students so if you ever need to read, either you here early or stay back afterschool. I will be here to open up the library if you need me" said Iruka as he gave Naruto a knowing nod before he returned to his paperwork.

Naruto was ecstatic at being able to read in the library for the first time and instantly dashed towards the picture book section in order to read all the books that she never had the chance to. Shikamaru just smiled in response and headed to the ninjutsu section of the library. He grabbed some books about business, science, and medicine from the civilian section along the way as he looked for any information about unlocking chakra. Seeing none, he returned to the area where Iruka was and chose a seat near the window in order to read the books.

He had never ventured into the library before as he had no reason to. The old librarian constantly glared at children and so he gave the place wide berth. Without the librarian however, the place was quite peaceful and calming. He quickly opened his book before he saw Naruto bounding over with a pile of fairy tale books, eager to sit with Shikamaru.

Shikamaru moved over to the side and allowed Naruto to be able to place her books on the table. He smiled at her excited face before he turned his gaze onto his own books. With a determined look he began reading through the content at a brisk pace. For his clan and precious people, he will make sure to do all that he can.

They stayed within the library for 2 hours before Iruka said that they had to leave or else the librarian will catch them. During that time, Shikamaru had finished all three basic books on science, medicine, and business and was in the middle of the first intermediate book. Naruto was sad to not be able to continue reading her fairy tales but she reluctantly placed all the books back into their proper positions.

The trio headed back into the classroom before Iruka gestured for them to go off and take their seats. Shikamaru and Naruto chose seats at the back in order to avoid the mob of students that were to come in afterwards. Shikamaru decided to nap his time away and Naruto soon joined him for lack of any better alternative. Iruka couldn't help but smile at the sight of a sleepy Naruto curling up next to Shikamaru. He himself started to feel sleepy and eventually he drifted off as well.

Iruka slowly got out of his nap at the sound of many footsteps approaching from the hallway. He glanced at the clock to see that it was almost time for the students to enter. He fixed up his vest which was skewed due to the awkward sleeping position and freshened himself up. He pretended to be organising papers as he watched the first of the students slowly trickle in.

He watched as his many students drifted in and filled the classroom with mindless chatter. He also noted the Akimichi boy quickly join his friends at the back and had already begun snacking on chips. Upon hearing the bell that signalled that class had begun, he quickly called for quiet within the classroom. He was obviously ignored. After three tries and failures he decided to act.

"Shut up and get your butts in place!" he shouted while using his personal genjutsu that allowed for his head to appear bigger than usual.

The class immediately followed his instructions and had quickly sat down.

"Now that we are all seated, we have a new transfer student. Naruto, please introduce yourself to the class."

Naruto stood up politely and gave the entire class a bow before she spoke, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like my friends, ramen, and gardening. I hope we all get along."

Instantly there were small whispers that went around the classroom, most of which stating on how she was to be avoided and how their parents had said to watch out for her. Naruto upon hearing this felt her face fall for a bit before she sat back down next to Shikamaru. Shikamaru gave her a reassuring smile and once again held her hand, silently letting her know that he was here for her. Naruto brightened and returned to her normal cheerful self once more.

"Alright, today is the first day of activating chakra. We talked about the theory of being Shinobi last week but I think it is time to get into the practical side. For most shinobi, it takes weeks to activate one's chakra, seeing that several clan heirs are in my class I can safely assume that some of you have activated your chakra already" he says as he sees the shy Hyuga, the quiet Aburame, and the arrogant Uchiha heirs nod their heads, "so they will start off with basic chakra control exercises while I bring the rest of you up to speed."

He grabs three leaves and hands them to the trio that had already unlocked their chakra.

"You three will attempt to stick your leaf to your forehead with nothing but your chakra. As for the rest of you," he said as he turned towards the rest of the class, "I want you to search inside of yourself for a chakra source and attempt to pull it out of your body."

Naruto, excited as ever, instantly tried to find her chakra. It wasn't too hard as she had a very large chakra reserve. She immediately started to pull on it and her entire body started to emit chakra that was slowly creating a gust of wind around her.

"Congratulations Naruto, you have become the first one to activate your chakra. I don't think I have seen anyone activate it that fast. You must have talent" complimented Iruka, "here is a leaf for you to start the control exercise"

Naruto just grinned happily as she quickly grabbed the leaf and attempted to stick it onto her forehead, not noticing the jealous looks she was getting from most of the class. Shikamaru offered her his own compliments before he returned to meditating to find his own chakra.

The lesson continued until the bell rang to signal the beginning of their break. Other than Naruto, no one had made any progress in terms of unlocking chakra. Shikamaru had found his chakra pool but was not able to unlock it as some kind of barrier was preventing its activation. Shikamaru had spent a majority of the class pondering on what this barrier was. When he asked Naruto if she had a similar barrier, she had denied any sort of hindrance between her and her chakra. Iruka-sensei had also never heard of such a barrier and had decided to check some books about it after school.

"Cheer up Shikamaru, I am sure you will get through it" said Choji as he munched on his lunch, "Maybe it is a mental thing"

"Maybe" responded Shikamaru as he lied onto the grass of the playground, "What about you Naruto? How is the exercise going?"

Naruto's only response was to glare at the leaf in question.

"That well huh? Don't worry, it probably means that you have a bigger chakra supply. The more you have, the harder it is to control. Think of it like a river, a smaller stream would be easier to divert while a larger stream would require more effort" said Shikamaru, "As for me… A barrier to my chakra is very concerning. I might not ever be able to access my chakra"

Naruto looks at Shikamaru in pity as she remembers his duty towards his clan.

"Don't worry, I am sure we will find a solution" said Naruto gently as she finally allowed the leaf to rest, "We can always try later. Maybe some rest will help us. There are some good clouds today"

"Yeah" Shikamaru responded with a smile.

The trio enjoyed the relaxing aura of the clouds before they were called back inside by the bell. The rest of the school hours were spent listening to lectures about shinobi conduct and the history of the village.

"What do we do now?" asked Naruto as she exited the academy.

Shikamaru looked up at the sky and contemplated a solution to his problem.

"I guess I could ask my parents. Maybe they will have a solution…"

Naruto looked sadly upon Shikamaru's disappointed expression before she thought up of on idea _, 'Why don't we ask the Hokage? Maybe he can help!'_

She immediately dragged Shikamaru towards the Hokage without so much as a heads up. Shikamaru, lacking anything better to do, decided to just go along with whatever Naruto was doing. She wouldn't drag him to somewhere without reason.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Hokage tower, Shikamaru had figured out whatever Naruto's plan was. Naruto knocked on the door and waited for a response. He heard an old tired voice say "Come in" as the doors swung open.

"Ahh, what can I do for the two of you" asked Hiruzen.

"Shikamaru has this problem… I was wondering if you know anything about it" said Naruto as she gestured to a sad Shikamaru.

 _'Please don't tell me that I have to give them the talk…'_ thought Hiruzen as he forced a smile forward, "What can I do for you Shikamaru-kun?"

"I seem to have a barrier between me and my chakra sir" said Shikamaru, "I just want to know if it can be fixed."

"A barrier you say? Hang on a second…" Hiruzen said as he called out to one of the ANBU, "Boar, do you sense any foreign chakra or seals on the boy?"

The ANBU appeared in the corner of the Hokage's office before he held out a ram hand sign. After a second or two the ANBU turned towards the Hokage.

"I cannot sense the boy's chakra at all, but from what I can tell, there is no seal or anything wrong with the boy. Other than being a blind spot to any sensor that he will encounter" Boar said before he bowed once and disappeared to his original post.

Hiruzen thought for a bit before he said, "I am afraid I cannot help you then, maybe it is genetic. Go home and ask Shikaku, maybe he might have some idea of this occurrence happening before"

The dejected duo gave Hiruzen a respectful bow before they left. _'I hope everything is alright with Shikamaru. The other clans are vicious if they see that the clan heir is weak. They will have my support but without the clan heir being a Shinobi, they will become a civilian clan and fall under the control of the council. Here I thought peace would come to my village once the war was over… I should have taken Minato's place at the sealing. If only my old bones were quick enough.'_

"So Oyaji... got any idea what is going on?" asked Shikamaru after he explained the situation to his parents.

Both Shikaku and Yoshino gave very concerned looks towards each other. Shikaku frowned as he tried to think up a solution with no avail. Yoshino was extremely worried for her son and hoped that her son was misled or had come to the wrong conclusion, however unlikely the chance may be.

"Are you sure it is a barrier? Maybe you were just mistaken. Meditate this out and if it still doesn't work then we will have to search for other options. To be honest, I have never heard of such a thing as a barrier created from nothing" said Shikaku as he gave Shikamaru an apologetic shrug, "Maybe it is all get a mental manifestation and you will get over it soon"

Shikamaru nodded before he turned towards an anxious and worried Naruto.

"Don't worry about me, I'll get my chakra soon" said Shikamaru comfortingly.

"But what if you don't? They said that we need chakra to survive right? What happens if you can't get enough of it due to your barrier?" asked Naruto frantically.

"Don't worry. I'll figure something out…" said Shikamaru, "I am not gonna die anytime soon… Besides, if the barrier is a mental thing then I will just have to overcome it. After all, mental things are my specialty."

Naruto seemed to cheer up at the comment but inside, she was still very worried.

"Alright, do your best Shika-Kun. If you need any help, just ask me! After all, I got my chakra the fastest."

Shikamaru could only chuckle at the sweet gesture, "Okay, I'll ask if I need help"

"That goes for your father and me as well Shika-chan" said Yoshino, "We will look for any records in the clan archives. Just keep meditating Shikamaru"

Shikamaru gave her a nod in response.

* * *

Over the course of the week, all of Shikamaru's classmates had gained access to their chakra… all except Shikamaru. Shikamaru had tried many times to break and shatter the barrier but to no avail. He had tried to scour the library in the early mornings only to find no information on the topic. Iruka had helped him search but with no results to show for it. Eventually he decided to continue to read about his other subjects in order to supplement his own ability.

He had completely finished all the medical, science, and business textbooks that were available to him in the academy. He was lucky that the civilian adults also used the academy as a university due to the lack of interests in further study among the population. Most people were either ninja or they ran some civilian business that they inherited.

He had to acknowledge that the medical books ended up being the most useful as he was able to heal up Naruto after sparring sessions with the Chunin instructors. Some of them tend to be a little rougher with Naruto so he acted as her healer often even though she tended to heal very fast naturally. While he may not know any medical chakra techniques, the ordinary methods were nothing to scoff at. Plus the pressure point map had been very helpful in easing Naruto's sores after the spars.

"Shikamaru, you're up" said Iruka as he gave Naruto an apologetic look.

"Nah, I'll pass…" said Shikamaru as he continued to rub ointment into Naruto's bruised cheek.

"I know that you want to help Naruto but can you at least try? I don't want you to fail" said Iruka.

Shikamaru sighed in resignation before he walked into the sparring circle. He just barely stepped in before the instructor got into an advanced stance and shot forward towards Shikamaru, intent on taking out his anger at the Kyuubi brat on its friend. Shikamaru calculated the attack and immediately lied down to pretend to look at the clouds. The instructor, who didn't anticipate this action, tripped and fell out of the ring.

"Winner Shikamaru" said Iruka as he hid his amused smirk behind his clipboard.

The instructor screamed in outrage while the other classmates said that it didn't count as Shikamaru had only lain down to sleep. Naruto on the other hand was on the ground, wheezing from laughter. Iruka said that the instructor was using too fast of a speed for academy students and it was his fault for tripping. The instructor could only seethe in red-faced anger at losing to the 'dead-last' of the class who hadn't even unlocked his chakra.

Shikamaru simply got up and went back to Naruto to tend to her wounds and think about how the week had gone to pass.

 ***Flashback***

Most of the other instructors tried to sabotage Naruto but Shikamaru almost always made their plans backfire. Eventually they started to target Shikamaru as well but it was ineffective due to the craftiness of their prey. Once they were caught in the act by the Hokage who had just 'happened' to be on an academy inspection one too many times, they had given up on trying to sabotage the academic knowledge of the two. However in taijutsu, all was fair, thus leading to the current situation.

Shikamaru ended up being labelled as the 'class dobe' and was avoided by everyone except Choji and Naruto. Ino, his former friend, had taken to gossiping like the class queen and would often spew out false rumours about him to cement her position as leader of her little group. Naruto's only concerns were the instructors as the children were too busy with Shikamaru to bother with her. Even then, once they knew that Shikamaru was the reason for their plan's failure, they started to target him in order to 'persuade' him to leave Naruto. Shikamaru's constant laid-back attitude towards everyone's bullying had annoyed the other children to the point where they basically forgot that Naruto and Choji had even existed. It also worked extremely well on the instructors as well.

Naruto, who didn't like how the others were treating Shikamaru, had tried to defend him, only to be held back by a smirking Shikamaru who had always seemed to calm her down. Eventually Naruto got the hint that Shikamaru was playing the class like a fiddle and she eventually evened her temper. She had vocally protested heavily to Shikamaru the first time around but ended up being brought to tears again once he explained his plan.

"Don't worry about the classmates. You had endured this throughout your orphanage days, which is more than enough for you. While I was not there for you then, I am now. If they bully you, things will get even worse than with the villagers once they grow up and you will have to deal with even more bigots. At least this way, your burden is lessened. Besides, they are children and will probably forget all about me as soon as we leave the academy since their parents don't ask them to hate me. It will be a different story if they hated you…" said Shikamaru calmly to Naruto.

"What did I do to deserve a friend like you?" asked Naruto once she had dried up all of her tears.

"You got extremely lucky and took a right turn somewhere in your life" said Shikamaru simply as he gave Naruto a comforting hug.

 ***Flashback end***

In terms of his condition, his parents had searched through the clan archives and had found that only one of his ancestors had a similar problem, a man by the name of Shikaichi who was a black sheep in the Nara family. He had a chakra degenerative disease but had managed to activate his chakra with the help of his wife. He unfortunately died saving the Nara clan from a raid, leaving behind one son.

The history of his wife however, was much more mysterious however. The woman's name was faded and hard to make out but her history was somewhat legible. She had married into the clan and had shadow powers similar to the Nara.

The records stated that the woman was an ex-criminal who was saved by her future husband when he was a young man. She was battered and bruised after being hunted down by her previous employer. The Nara took care for her despite the fact that she was a murderer and she eventually fell in love. She spent her life finding atonement and had hoped to be the best wife she could be. She taught him her clan arts of Alchemy and Shadow Manipulation and was distraught at his death. She had hoped that her son would be like him but instead he was lazy like his clan. While she still loved the boy she knew that it would be a waste if her arts were to be taught to someone who was not worthy. Instead she did something that made sure that only the worthy gained her knowledge.

 _'I am sure the barrier is her doing. It probably is a test. But why me? Why not someone else? I am sure there must be better candidates then just me. Maybe it has something to do with saving someone? No, if it was then my father would have had the same problem… There are too many variables not accounted for. I wish there was a clue somewhere'_ thought Shikamaru in frustration as he finished Naruto's treatment.

Shikamaru was looking over all the records of Shikaichi and his wife but he still had found nothing. Shikaku had a mission and Naruto was currently with Yoshino having some 'girl time' away from the boys so he was alone in his hideout. His mother had said something about hot spring before she and Naruto were gone so they would probably be a while. Although Naruto had wanted to stay with him, Shikamaru told her to go have fun as she was basically part of the family, mother daughter time were normally as important as father son time. Naruto had eventually left after giving Shikamaru one last big hug.

Shikamaru gazed at the notes before he finally threw them up in frustration. The bindings of the book suddenly gave way and all of the pages scattered around the clearing and a small red gem fell from within the thick spine of the record book. Shikamaru looked at the gem curiously before he decided to meditate on what this gem could mean and what its purpose was.

 _'A red gem… Am I supposed to wear it? It has no attaching accessory… Maybe its contact removes the barrier?'_ thought Shikamaru as he searched for his barrier once more. Seeing the barrier getting stronger rather than weaker, Shikamaru sighed in disappointment. He decided to make one last assault on the barrier in frustration. He felt his consciousness ricochet off of the wall and get pushed into the unknown. Suddenly his mind went blank and he passed out.

* * *

Shikamaru woke up in an unfamiliar white enclosure. He looked around to see that behind him was a massive stone gate with foreign and familiar engravings. The intricate design of it caused Shikamaru to wonder what purpose the gate was for. He attempted to pry it open but was unable to make it budge. After a minute of trying, he eventually gave up.

"I guess I finally get to meet you Shikamaru… or should I say Shikaichi…" said a woman's voice from behind him.

Shikamaru immediately turned around and got into a combat stance, ready for any attack only to find a shadow entity in a form of a woman, waving at him in what looked to be a friendly and non-threatening manner.

"Who are you?" asked Shikamaru carefully, "And why did you call me Shikaichi?"

"Ah that is easy, I was once called Kurohime. I was also once called Pride but I had since lost that title" said the now named Kurohime. "As for why I called you Shikaichi… I will tell you in a bit…"

"Okay then… why am I here?" asked Shikamaru, not lowering his guard one bit.

Kurohime smiled with a white toothy grin on her shadow form before she answers.

"You were the first to pass my test" she said, "The only person who could pass the test was someone who was of my blood, as no one else could get the gift, and someone who would risk everything to save the life of an innocent stranger. I gave my son and his descendants the ability of eidetic memory and heightened their intelligence in order to make sure that they don't just save someone who was truly cruel. You fulfilled the criteria when you left the safety of the clan to save your young friend Naruto…"

Shikamaru took a moment to process all this before he finally decided to speak.

"So what happens now?" asked Shikamaru.

"I give you ultimate power, absolute control over shadows and the knowledge to use the lost art of alchemy that you humans had long since forgotten" said Kurohime.

"Wait…what is the catch?" said Shikamaru.

"Simple… I take away your chakra… You will have no chakra from then on. I have already blocked access to your chakra in order to allow for your body to not rely on chakra for living so you will not die when it is taken" said Kurohime, "The thing you need to know about alchemy is that it works around the principle of equivalent exchange. Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost."

"Wait, you speak as if you are not human… What are you?" asked Shikamaru cautiously, not really willing on making a deal with the devil.

"I am what you would call a homunculus… a created human... The god of my world sent the original homunculus through a gate that is similar to the one you see behind you. He then destroyed the gate as punishment, forever trapping us here. Eventually the original split himself into the seven sins: Lust, Pride, Greed, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Wrath. We killed many humans in hatred until the discovery of chakra. Afterward we couldn't get as many souls to sustain ourselves. I was defeated after many clans joined up to hunt me down. I was then saved by Shikaichi who showed me kindness. I had all but discarded the ouroboros and I no longer felt like a homunculus around my husband. The ouroboros symbolises the creature of selfishness and immortality. Shikaichi made me feel human… I taught him alchemy and the other homunculi were enraged. He died saving me and took out the rest of the homunculi" she said sadly as her form gained colour and tone. She had dark black hair that fell to her shoulders and pale skin. On her arm was the ouroboros sign which portrays the snake eating its own tail, "Normally, we homunculus cannot bear children but since I gave up my immortality and regenerative abilities, I was able to conceive a beautiful baby boy. I loved him with all my heart but he ended up lazy and arrogant. I saw his soul and it was the hardest thing to see my baby corrupted by the elders of the clan. I eventually retreated into my heart in pain, hoping that someday, my husband's legacy would return to our family. You found my heart that I had hidden away. Slowly his legacy returned to the family, but not completely… Until you came along…"

Shikamaru looked at her in confusion as he scrambled to understand all the information.

"So I am your husband's incarnation?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yes, or rather you have Shikaichi's soul. It appears to have merged with a new soul in order to create you" she said, "but you look exactly like him with a different hairstyle"

"I see…" Shikamaru said quietly, "so are you remnants of the woman named Kurohime?"

She nodded in agreement before stating, "So, what do you say to our deal?"

Shikamaru thought for a moment before he answered carefully, "I am afraid I cannot accept the terms"

"Why?" she asked curiously, "You would be able to protect everyone! You would be powerful beyond measure!"

"But I would no longer be able to stand beside the people I cherish…" said Shikamaru, "As clan heir, if I give up my chakra, then my clan will fall to ruins. Not only that, but I would no longer meet the criteria of being a ninja which would mean that I would have to leave Naruto alone to the dogs of the village. I can earn power, but bonds that are severed will never be the same again"

The woman just looked at Shikamaru blankly before a wide smile spread across her face.

"You have completely bested me! I have been utterly defeated! Every single trap I laid, you managed to waltz through them all! My time here is short, so I leave all of my alchemical knowledge to you. You would have to study them in your mindscape yourself since you didn't take the easy way. As for my shadow ability… I think my legacy lives on in your shadow. I am sure she has been trying to contact you… Farewell Shikamaru Nara!" She said as she started to disintegrate, "The barrier is gone by the way. It was in place in case you accepted my deal. I am coming home darling"

"Say hello to my previous incarnation for me" said Shikamaru as he smiled cheekily, "Tell him I will make him proud"

She nodded as her entire form turned to dust. Suddenly the empty white space shifted into a library filled to the brim with books. Each shelf had a number on it to display sequential order for it to be studied. It appeared as if the room was divided into two sections, Amestrian Alchemy and Alkahestry. On the opposite side of the room was an exit with an intricate locking sequence.

Once he approached it, the door swung open to reveal a cavern filled with many crystals with swirling energy inside. He gingerly touched one and saw a memory of him playing shoji against his father. From what he could see, he would lose the game in 27 moves.

 _'I guess I am in my mindscape… Eat your heart out Ino…'_ thought Shikamaru as he smirked. _'If this is my mind then I should be able to control everything here… I wonder…'_

Shikamaru forced all of the crystals to bury themselves into the earth and created false red crystal to replace them, showing memories of clouds, textbooks, as well as boring academy lectures. He willed the door to the alchemy room to blend in with the cavern for extra protection. Once satisfied with his work, he decided to continue to explore his mind while he could. Maybe he might find the legacy that the woman was talking about.

Once he reached the end of the cavern he found that it had split into two paths, one lit up with dull blue lines and one was shrouded in darkness. _'The blue line must be my chakra, it was what my chakra felt like through the barrier. I guess the darkness would be my shadows. I suppose I should get my chakra first just in case I need it'_ thought Shikamaru. He traversed through the tunnel of blue to reach what seemed to be a pool of blue chakra. It was a massive lake that seemed to be dammed up. Slowly, he willed the dam open and allowed chakra to course through his body. Remembering about what Kurohime said about the body being reliant on chakra, he willed himself to place barriers on the flow in order to prevent it from supplying energy to his organs unless he releases the barriers. This will allow him to be independent of his chakra and not suffer from chakra exhaustion.

He smiled at his quick thinking and allowed himself to rest from the mental strain. _'God this is tiring, I can't wait to rest afterwards… And tell Naruto and my parents the good news of course. Hopefully everyone will stop worrying me afterwards.'_ He thought.

After a small period of rest, he allowed himself to go and traverse the shadow path. The first thing he noticed was that the shadows had eyes, gleaming in the darkness. Each tracked his movements as he past. Steeling himself, he shook off his fear and entered into the lair of Kurohime's legacy. Once he exited the tunnel, he saw a massive bedroom filled with stuffed animals, all in a black colour. On top of the bed was a little girl who looked like a smaller version of Kurohime, playing tea party with a doll. Looking closer, he realised that all the shadows were connected to the girl and forced his form to relax. If she wanted him dead, she would have already killed him.

"Hello there Shika-kun, I am Yami! Nice to meet you!" said the bubbly girl.

"Nice to meet you too" said Shikamaru who didn't allow his guard to falter at all, "I guess you are Kurohime's Legacy?"

"Yep, I am basically a mental manifestation of Kurohime's powers that she had passed on by blood. Normally I would test you for worthiness, but I see that my previous incarnation had already done so. All you need to do now is absorb me and all my knowledge will be yours" she said as she allowed the toys that she had created to dissipate, "My role is over… It was nice to meet you Shika-kun!"

"Yeah, not happening. I draw the line at absorbing other people for knowledge. I don't mind taking control, but I will learn the knowledge on my own" said Shikamaru in a determined voice.

"Sorry, the control comes with the knowledge. I can't just give you control" she said sadly.

"Then teach me, or you can control my shadows for me. I will not harm you" said Shikamaru stubbornly, "Jeez… troublesome women…"

Yami giggled at Shikamaru before she ran up and kissed him on the cheek, making Shikamaru blush like a tomato.

"You really are kind… Alright, I will teach you! In return I want a favour from you that I can call in at any time that I want" said Yami.

"Fine, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone" said Shikamaru.

She nodded and then gave Shikamaru a cheeky smile. "I suppose you should leave for now. Come back once you are rested and we will start on our training. Don't you dare slack off on me Shika-kun!" said Yami in a joking tone.

"Yes Yami-sensei" He replied as he willed himself out of the mindscape.

 _'Yami-sensei… Oh that boy is just too cute'_ thought Yami.

Shikamaru opened his eyes to see the familiar sight of the plateau. He noticed that the red gem had completely disappeared and he felt extremely tired in comparison to mere moment's ago. He allowed his gaze to return to the sky and noticed that only a few seconds had gone by in comparison to the hours that he had thought he had spent. Getting up, he quickly gathered the notes before they were blown off in the wind. Strangely, he noticed that movement had eliminated some of his mental fatigue rather than add to his tiredness.

 _'If this is the case then I can do taijutsu practice until I am tired and rest up in my mindscape in order to learn about my alchemy and shadow powers. I wonder if I will be able to pull a whole bunch of revenge pranks with my now solid and flexible shadows… I think that Naruto has been a terrible influence on me…'_ thought Shikamaru.

He decided to quickly head back and return the notes to his father's study as he had no need for them anymore. _'That should get my blood pumping and hopefully rid me of the rest of my fatigue'_ thought Shikamaru as he went top speed through the treetops to reach his house.

* * *

The journey towards the house was quick and smooth. He returned the book without any complications before he wrote a small note explaining that the binding had broken.

Afterward he immediately started to train his physical body in order to relieve his mental fatigue. First he started with 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups and a lap around the house. After the workout he allowed himself a 10 minute break before he repeated once more. Slowly but surely he felt his mental fatigue fade into nothing as his physical fatigue increased in proportion. It wasn't until his third repetition of the cycle that his mother and Naruto came back.

Yoshino had expected many things from Shikamaru. A shrewd business man, a cunning politician, a stay-at-home father, a lazy Chunin, and more recently a knight in shining armour from what Naruto has told her. Maybe even Naruto's husband in the near future. What she did not expect was seeing Shikamaru, one of the laziest people she knew, running laps around the Nara compound with no immediate danger chasing him.

"Kai!" shouted Yoshino as she flared her chakra to dispel any genjutsu. Once she realised that the scene in front of her had not changed at all, she immediately used the communication seal to call for Shikaku.

"Okay Naruto, I want you to stay close to me and don't leave my side. Something might be wrong in the compound" said Yoshino seriously.

Naruto nodded incompliance just as Shikaku arrived in a Shunshin.

"What is wrong darling? Are you hurt? My band didn't notify me of any danger" said Shikaku as he looked at the worried face of Yoshino.

"I think there is something in the compound. I just saw Shikamaru running around the compound. Shikamaru running!" said Yoshino.

Shikaku immediately was on guard and the trio slowly entered the compound cautiously. Once they entered they saw Shikamaru lying on the floor, panting heavily.

All three immediately checked up on him, checking for injuries and signs of attack.

"Shikamaru! Who attacked you? Where did they go?" asked Shikaku as he kept his eyes peeled.

"Come on Shikamaru, tell mommy that you are alright" said Yoshino who was frantically searching him for injuries.

"Don't leave me Shika-kun! Hang in there!" exclaimed Naruto as she hugged Shikamaru tightly.

"What attack? Was there an attack on the mission?" asked Shikamaru curiously as he took deep breaths to calm his beating heart.

All three looked at Shikamaru once more before Yoshino voiced the thought that was on everyone's mind.

"But if you weren't attacked, why were you running?"

"I was exercising to freshen up my mind" replied Shikamaru, face palming into his hand at the incredulousness of the situation.

Shikaku and Yoshino looked at each other then quickly formed the ram hand sign and flared their chakra.

"KAI!" they shouted only to find an annoyed Shikamaru and a curious Naruto.

"Really? Is it that hard to believe that I was exercising?" asked Shikamaru with a toneless voice.

"Yes" was the reply that he got.

"Troublesome" he said as he collapsed back onto the floor.

"So you can access your chakra now?" asked an excited Naruto.

"Yeah" replied Shikamaru as he stuck the leaf to his forehead, "See?"

"Wow you got it down really fast!" said Naruto as she copied Shikamaru's action, finally having the leaf stick in one place.

"Well, in my defence, I did access my mindscape so I could easily determine how much chakra I was using. It turns out I have quite the large pool of chakra despite never using it in my life. My reserves just built up to the brink and kept expanding due to the barrier. It tricked my chakra system to think as if I was never getting any chakra as the areas which normally require chakra never got any. This was the reason why it kept producing more and more chakra and expanding reserves" said Shikamaru calmly, "Even then, my pool is barely half of yours. You have a lot of chakra so of course yours will be harder to control"

"Wow, I am awesome aren't I?" asked Naruto excitedly.

Shikamaru only laughed in response and patted her hair gently.

"Yes you are" said Shikamaru.

"Do you think I will be able to see my chakra pool if I meditated as well?" asked Naruto.

"Maybe" said Shikamaru, "you will have to try to find out"

"Cool," replied Naruto, "What caused the barrier anyway?"

Shikamaru only smirked and gave her a cheeky wink.

"It's a secret"

Naruto pouted and whined for the good half of the hour, only stopping once Shikamaru said that he would tell her what had happened on her birthday.

"Promise?" asked Naruto.

"Promise" replied Shikamaru.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey everyone, welcome to my second chapter. I finished it early and I hope you enjoyed it. I hope I will see you all next time. Remember to follow and fav this story if you like it also support my pa Treon at /StatusInc to help me with my writing!


	3. Chapter 3

**A Shadow's Touch**

 **Chapter 3: Love in Shadows**

It has been a few months since his acquisition of power and Shikamaru has changed rapidly since then. He would frequently study and practice alchemy and shadow control. He had finished almost half of the alchemy section due to his previous reading of science textbooks. He was hoping to finish the rest of the books by the end of the month as most of the books tended to overlap with each other.

He was already making transmutations such as small earth walls or statues, and then deconstructing them rapidly. He also noted that alchemy required practice of both physical and mental strength as the user experiences the fatigue and experience of actually constructing the item all at once during the transmutation. So far he was only able to do small miniatures due to his proximity to Naruto and his plan to surprise her with a transmutation on her birthday. So far no one knew of his control over shadow and alchemical abilities. It helped that he didn't need to use an alchemical circle for basic transmutations due to Kurohime dragging him to see his gate during her meeting. He also got really good at kunai throwing due to his practice of Alkahestry. He hasn't had any need for the medical alchemy yet, but he had practiced on healing the native wildlife in Konoha's forest.

His shadow training was going well. Despite Yami saying that it was an extremely complex art, not once did he falter in his practice. He actually picked up all of the knowledge extremely quickly and his control over shadows was now surpassing Yami, much to her annoyance. He could not see through his shadows though due to Yami having official control over his power. His control was so good he could make his shadows so thin that they were unnoticeable to the naked eye and would often use his solid shadows to trip or embarrass anyone who shot Naruto dirty glares in the streets.

Shikamaru was now very active within his compound and around Naruto, Choji or Ayako. Outside of them, he would continue to play his lazy persona in order to make sure that the other villagers would underestimate him. Not only that, he didn't want the villagers to treat Naruto even worse for 'possessing the Nara heir'.

In terms of school, he was still the dead-last due to his lack of effort in schooling activities. The teachers had taken to focusing on him due to their frustrations and his classmates still haven't changed at all. The teachers had finally figured that he got Naruto out of any sabotage that they would attempt so they had resigned to targeting him instead. He made sure that any attempts would fail badly and hilariously.

One such instance was when one of the teachers had tried to give him a lecture and embarrass him, he completely butchered the teacher's vocabulary and every time she would say a word he would say, "Do you mean" and then say an extremely elaborate form of the word. He treated the teacher as if she was a student and promptly turned her lecture into a lesson on vocabulary. The teacher could not look into his eyes to this day, probably due to some childhood trauma that he sparked.

Currently however, Shikamaru was bored. He had taken to getting creative with the leaf sticking exercise in order to cure his boredom. He was currently gliding the leaf across his skin. He made it travel from his forehead to his hands to his feet and back. Classes with Iruka were alright if you didn't already know the content. He had already finished this year's curriculum so the information was redundant. At first he would enter his mindscape and practice study about alchemy or work with Yami on his shadow control. Unfortunately he was mentally fatigued already so he could not continue his study. He had contemplated about taking a nap but he wasn't going to do that to the only teacher that he actually liked.

 _'I can tell this is going to be a long day'_ thought Shikamaru.

Eventually class ended and students slowly exited to greet their parents. Choji had another meeting with Ayako back at his clan so he could not stay with Naruto and Shikamaru. The duo bid him farewell and waited for Iruka to allow them into the library. Shikamaru showed Naruto his new idea on improving chakra control and was currently trying to do the same for two leaves.

Iruka walked in to see Shikamaru slowly moving two leaves around his body and praised him for the idea. Naruto was still trying to get her one leaf to wiggle without it being shot off of her head.

"The library again?" asked Iruka, "Honestly, how haven't the both of you read the entire library already?"

"I am close Iruka-sensei. Just give me a few more weeks and I will probably get it done" said Shikamaru as he headed off towards the library, still moving the two leaves across his body.

"The stories are amazing Iruka-sensei! I wish I knew about these ages ago" said an excited Naruto.

Iruka just chuckled and ushered them into the library.

"I can only be here to open it for a while unfortunately. I have to go shopping later today" said Iruka.

"How about you treat us to Ichiraku?" asked Naruto, "They are awesome!"

"Maybe next time Naruto" laughed Iruka, "I don't get my pay check until next week. Plus I already treated you last week."

Naruto just pouted before she went straight to the fiction section and grabbed another few novels. Shikamaru just sighed at Naruto's antics before he looked at the ninja technique section.

While browsing the shelves for any jutsu, he spied a 'Beginner's Book on Fuinjutsu' written by Mito Uzumaki. It had a dusty brown cover with the Uzumaki swirl on its spine. It was in the very bottom corner of the shelf and was amongst a whole bunch of books that were labelled 'redacted'. He took the book and looked at the other books that were amongst the redacted books. In them he found the books, 'Legacy of the Whirlpool', 'Clan laws', 'Council laws and charters', and 'The history of the Bijuu'. He curiously opened the books and only saw pages and pages of black ink. Knowing that Alchemy was an easy fix for these books, he asked Yami to use the shadows to sense for any witnesses. Upon sensing none, he discreetly clapped his hands and restored the books to their original condition. Afterwards, he quickly took the books and brought them to the table.

"Iruka, I was wondering. What is with all of the redacted books?" asked Shikamaru.

"Oh that. It is due to the orders of the council with the information amendment around 6 years ago. They redacted any information that was called 'Too sensitive' from the libraries in Konoha and placed the redacted books in the academy due to it being the least used library in Konoha. Since the Shodaime had made a law that prevented the destruction of all public books, the council decided to simply redact the info" said Iruka.

"I see…" said Shikamaru as he browsed through the books, "Do you know what books are redacted?"

"No, I only know that they have been. Normally no one bothers with those books anyway. In fact, most of the books in the academy shinobi section are actually redacted. Basically no one comes in here for that reason anyway. They go to the public library if they ever need shinobi techniques" said Iruka.

Shikamaru nodded in response before he faked a sigh and walked back to the shelves, bringing the books with him. He looked around for any sign of a waste paper bin and sure enough, there was one that was filled to the brim. He checked with Yami once more to detect any sign of someone nearby before he transmuted copies of the redacted books and placed them in the previous positions of the books. He was about to congratulate himself for a job well done before he noticed that all of the books had a security seal on the back of them.

Shikamaru knew that if he took away the books then someone would notice that they were gone. Thinking quickly he used his alchemy to remove the covers of the books and switch them with the covers of his transmuted copies. This way, no one would notice the books missing. Looking around he saw hundreds of redacted books that ranged from the history of old clans to the various tutorials of fuinjutsu. He knew that this was going to take time to get every single redacted book. He silently placed the books into his bag before he heard Iruka calling out to him.

"Sorry Shikamaru! I got to go now, time to leave!"

"Alright!" he called back before he quickly packed up and left. _'I can't wait to tell Naruto that I found a connection to her family!'_

* * *

Shikamaru and Naruto were on their way to Ichiraku's. Naruto was happily talking to Shikamaru about the fantasy novel she was reading about when she noticed Shikamaru's vacant expression.

"Hey Shikamaru, are you listening?!" asked Naruto as she waved her hands in front of his face.

Shikamaru snapped out of his musings to see an annoyed Naruto. Upon realisation of what he had done, Shikamaru quickly began to apologise.

"Sorry Naruto, I was just thinking about something Iruka had told me. How about I treat you to a few bowls when we get to Ichiraku's?" said Shikamaru.

Naruto thought about the offer for a few seconds before she responded, "Fine, but you have to tell me what Iruka had told you!"

"Okay, but in private. I don't want to get in trouble for this" said Shikamaru.

Naruto simply nodded in response and they resumed walking. As the duo was passing by the park, Shikamaru noticed a group of children gathering around a girl. He recognised the girl as the Hyuga heiress. He quickly dashes towards the kids and hears them jeering and mocking the girl.

"Ha, look at the weak heiress! Just because she is from a clan she thinks she is better than us!" said one.

"Yeah, how pathetic" said another.

"Oi, cut it out!" said Shikamaru, "Leave the girl alone, or are you such cowards that you would attempt to attack a person in a group"

The three boys turned and looked at the intruder only to see Shikamaru with Naruto following behind.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the tall lanky one.

"Hey, isn't that the guy who is the dead-last of the class?" said what appeared to be their leader.

"Oh yeah, and isn't the other one the girl that none of the adults like?" said the short chubby one.

"Enough!" said Shikamaru, "If you don't leave her alone you will have to deal with me"

"And me as well!" said Naruto, angry that the bullies would insult her friend and pick on someone who was quite a loner.

"Oh yeah?" said the leader as he threw a punch straight at Naruto's face.

In an instant, Shikamaru countered and smashed his fist into the attacker before he could even step towards Naruto. His fist had slammed into the boy's nose with enough strength to draw blood from it.

"You should probably get that checked out" said Shikamaru calmly, "You won't lay a finger on my friend"

The other two immediately tried to kick Shikamaru in retaliation. Shikamaru quickly swung his legs forward and kicked the first one who was closest to him into the second one which caused them both to trip and fall onto the first boy.

"Now scram, before I decide to hurt you" said Shikamaru as he gave the boys a piercing glare.

The trio quickly left running with their tails between their legs.

"I could have handled him" said Naruto with a scarlet blush on her face.

"Maybe, but why take a chance?" asked Shikamaru with his smug smirk, "Hey Hyuga-san, are you alright?"

Hinata gave her rescuers a small nod in response and said, "T-Thank you N-Nara-san, U-Uzumaki-san"

"No worries" said Naruto as she gave the girl a hug, "I hate bullies anyway. You want to come with us to Ichiraku's? Shika-kun is paying!"

Shikamaru could only face palm as he could feel the ryo flying out of his wallet. Hopefully the girl doesn't eat as much as Naruto.

"I-If y-you would a-allow me t-to" stuttered the girl as she looked at Shikamaru with a blush upon her face.

"Come on, I let's go then" said Shikamaru as he trudged along the path towards the ramen stand.

"Ahh our number one customer, what can I get you today?" asked Ayame as she noticed a little Hyuga girl trailing behind Shikamaru and Naruto, "And who is this little cutie?"

"M-My name is H-Hinata H-Hyuga, nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you Hinata-san" said Ayame kindly, "Now, what would you all like to eat?"

"One miso, one vegetable, one beef, one pork… and double my order because Shika-kun is paying" exclaimed Naruto.

"If you keep taking advantage of people treating you they won't like you ya know" teased Ayame as she watched Naruto's expression go from happy to heart broken.

Naruto turned her pouty eyes to Shikamaru and he once again sighs.

"Don't worry Naruto, I will still treat you. I promised you didn't I?" said Shikamaru tiredly.

"But you will hate me" said Naruto sadly.

"No I won't and you know it. Just make sure to finish your ramen" said Shikamaru as he gave Ayame an annoyed look as she gave him a sheepish smile in apology.

"I-I would like m-miso as well" said Hinata shyly.

"I'll just take a vegetable then" said Shikamaru.

"Awe but you always get vegetable Shika-kun" whined Naruto.

"Vegetable is healthy and filling, so it is the least troublesome" said Shikamaru in response.

"Your order will be ready in a bit" said Ayame as she headed out to the back.

"So tell us about yourself Hinata-chan!" said Naruto.

"Well, I l-like f-flower pressing and c-cinnamon buns" stuttered Hinata, "I dislike b-bullies a-and p-people who pick on o-others"

"That is nice" said Shikamaru as Hinata grows red at hearing him talk to her.

"Are you alright? You don't have a fever do you?" asked Shikamaru in concern.

"N-no, I am f-fine Shikamaru-san" said Hinata quietly as she worked up her nerves, "C-Can I h-hang o-out with you b-both at s-school? I d-don't have m-many friends b-because I a-am shy"

"Of course Hinata-chan!" said Naruto, "We are friends now!"

Hinata smiled happily at the response, glad that she seemed to have found some friends.

Soon afterwards the food arrived and Ayame instantly started to question them on how they met. After the explanation Ayame immediately started to tease the trio.

"Looks like Shikamaru-kun is a hero to two princesses now. Be careful Naruto, little Hinata might just steal your Shika-kun away" teased Ayame as she caused both Shikamaru and Hinata to choke on their meal and Naruto to blush scarlet.

"AYAME!"

As soon as Naruto got into the door to Shikamaru's house she immediately began to question him.

"So what was it that you had to talk to me about?" she asked with her arms crossed.

Shikamaru didn't answer verbally as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out the book titled 'Legacy of the Whirlpool- the fall of the Uzumaki Clan'. He gently handed the book to a shocked Naruto as she stared at the book with her expression frozen. Naruto gently brushed her fingers across the cover before she hugged it tightly to her chest, her eyes filling up with tears.

"From what I can tell, you are the last child of the Uzumaki clan. I found the book in the redacted section so I nicked it. Iruka said it was supposed to be sensitive information and was completely ruined with ink. I found a way to get rid of the ink and managed to get it out to you. I thought you might like it" said Shikamaru softly.

Naruto dived into Shikamaru's arms once more.

"Thank you Shikamaru-kun. Thank you so much" said Naruto as she cried into Shikamaru's chest.

Shikamaru just stroked her hair until she stopped crying then spoke, "Well what do you know… You really are a princess after all"

Naruto just smiled at the joke before she gave Shikamaru a kiss on the cheek.

"Another favour for my hero" she said as Shikamaru turned bright red.

"I have other books that relate to you ya know. That was just the main one" said Shikamaru sheepishly.

"Really?!" asked Naruto excitedly as all of her tears gave way to the bubbly excitement underneath.

"Yeah, but I may need to borrow some of them. The fuinjutsu book written by someone named Mito Uzumaki could allow me to make a storage seal to carry all of the redacted books out at once" said Shikamaru as Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"You can borrow any of my books if you need to!" said Naruto, "I am just happy to know that I have a family… Thanks again Shikamaru"

"Oh yeah, you probably don't want to mention the fact that you have the books to anyone since that would mean that someone had stolen the books. Also, you were probably not told about your family earlier due to the clan probably having a lot of enemies. That would be the only logical reason why the Hokage wouldn't have told you. I thought about this during our time walking so make sure you don't say that you have a family to anyone until the Hokage talks to you about it okay?" said Shikamaru seriously, "I am not skilled enough to start hunting down ninja who come after you yet, so don't talk to anyone about this"

Naruto immediately nodded in agreement and gave Shikamaru one more hug of appreciation.

* * *

"Report Weasel" said the Hokage.

"Naruto Uzumaki seems to be happier than ever during these past few months. Although we are not allowed into the Nara compound to see what home life is for Naruto, it is safe to say that the Naras don't want any harm to come to Naruto. In fact, Naruto seems to have a crush on young Shikamaru. They also saved the Hyuga heiress from what appeared to be some bullies in school. Other than that, there is nothing else to report in terms of Naruto and her friends" said the weasel masked Anbu.

"Good" said Hiruzen, happy that Naruto was getting a good childhood despite the rough start that she had, "I think it is safe to say that her guard force can be reduced again in order to better utilise our forces?"

"Yes my lord" said Weasel one of the four remaining ANBU in the Naruto guard force.

"Very well then, remove your mask Itachi. I need you to focus on your clan. Your reports on their activities are quite concerning as of late. I want to enter peace negotiations with them before Danzo or the council can get a chance to interfere. I am pretty sure that they are doing many unsavoury things behind my back and I don't want to let things end in blood shed. I should really thank Shikamaru-kun, his actions are able to allow me to stay focused on the village rather than worry about the next village mob" said Hiruzen.

"Indeed sir, he will grow up to be one of the best shinobi" said Itachi.

"A very high compliment coming from you" said Hiruzen, "What about your little brother? I have heard many compliments from the academy about him"

Itachi paused for a second before he sighs in disappointment, "He has grown arrogant and has bought into father's ideas of grandeur. I hope that he can change and stop his foolishness"

"I see… I am sorry that I let things degenerate to this point" said Hiruzen.

"It is alright Hokage-sama, I am sure that everything will be fine" replied Itachi, "On other news, I think Naruto has got a rival in love"

"Oh, do tell" said Hiruzen, happy to have a change in mood.

"The Hyuga heiress seems to harbour a crush for the young Nara after they saved her" said a smirking Itachi.

"Oh poor Naruto has competition. I hope that they won't ruin their newly formed friendship over this" said Hiruzen thoughtfully before a devious smirk appeared on his face, "Speaking of crushes, how is Izumi Uchiha doing?"

Itachi reddened and spluttered vague syllables ranging from "fine" to "I don't know what you are talking about".

"Here is some advice from an old man. Never wait once you fall in love and know that she loves you back. I almost lost my own wife Biwako that way. She was quite a catch and many men had tried to gain her favour. One man had asked her out before I did and I was lucky that she turned him down. I asked her out immediately afterwards" said Hiruzen as he smiled at the memory, "I hear that Izumi is getting popular as well… I think one of her teammates has a crush on her"

Itachi stiffened and dashed out of the office leaving a laughing Hiruzen and some chuckling ANBU guards.

"Ahh to be young in love"

* * *

Shikamaru was currently dodging the sharp shadow tentacles that threatened to skewer him. He retaliated with his own shadow style of creating shadow armour and weapons and utilising them to both defend and attack his opponent. Yami was really testing the limits of his armour today.

Yami sent a bunch of tentacles to pierce through his armour but they just glanced off, barely dealing a scratch. Shikamaru formed a katana and charged straight at Yami. She quickly used her shadow to attempt to block but the katana just sliced through it like ribbons. She jumped back to gain distance and sent more shadow tentacles to hold Shikamaru's advance while she tried to think of a plan.

Once again, the shadows simply glanced off of Shikamaru's armour as he continued his charge like a samurai. She copied Shikamaru and formed a sword in order to fend off Shikamaru but it was sliced through like butter. Finally conceding defeat she collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion.

"What is wrong?" asked Shikamaru as he sat down next to Yami, "You haven't been yourself lately"

"Y-You don't need me anymore" said Yami as tears cascaded down her face, "You have me completely beat. I was absolutely no match. It was your complete victory and I could do nothing about it. You basically don't need me anymore"

Shikamaru quickly scooped up her form and hugged her tightly, allowing her to cry all of her frustrations out. He gently rocked from side to side and whispered calming words to her.

"Listen to me Yami…" said Shikamaru seriously as he turned her face to look into her eyes, "I don't ever want to hear you say that again. You are one of my precious friends and I have learned a lot from you. Don't ever say that you are not needed because I will always need you. I will always be in need of my friends and you are one of my most important friends. Even if you have nothing left to give, know this… You have given me your friendship and that is more than enough for me"

Yami allowed herself one last tear before she calmed herself down.

"Are you sure Shikamaru? I am basically made redundant in almost every way" said Yami shyly.

"Very sure" said Shikamaru, "What is with me and crying girls? First Naruto then you, I hope this doesn't become a habit. Troublesome."

"Crying of happiness is a good sign dumbass" said Yami as she slowly cheered up, "I am more concerned with your hero complex. First Naruto, then Hinata, and now me"

"Wait… I get the first two, but when did I save you?" asked a confused Shikamaru.

"You saved me from my despair… You saved me from myself" said Yami, "So you have three princesses now"

"Promise me that if you ever have something bothering you, you will talk to me instead of bottling it up like you were doing. I don't want you to feel neglected because you don't have a physical body" said Shikamaru.

"Promise" said Yami happily

 _'You really are my prince charming'_ thought Yami as she gave Shikamaru a soft kiss on his cheek, "I get princess privileges as well. I am technically princess of the Nara Clan"

Shikamaru turned red once more, "Troublesome"

* * *

Naruto was conflicted. While she liked having a new friend in Hinata, Ayame's words really hit home.

"She might steal him away huh?" said Naruto softly as she gazed up at her wooden ceiling of her bedroom. It was not often, but they would occasionally stay indoors whenever they decided not to travel to their hideout.

 _'What did she mean by that? Hinata is too nice to steal him, and he is not an object to be stolen. This is so confusing. Maybe Yoshino-okasan could tell me something about this'_ thought Naruto as she left her room and headed off to the kitchen.

"Okasan, you there?" asked Naruto.

"Yes honey, I am just making some dinner. Did you need anything?" asked Yoshino.

"Yeah, something is bothering me a lot. Can I talk to you about it?" said Naruto.

"Of course sweetie, take a seat. Let's have some girl talk" said Yoshino as she turned off the heat on the stove and sat down in the dining area.

Naruto sat down beside Yoshino as she struggled to find the right words to say.

"Today Ayame said something about Hinata stealing Shikamaru away, I want to know why it bothers me so much and why it is possible for someone to steal someone away. I don't want to lose Shikamaru" said Naruto sadly.

"Ahh…" Yoshino said in understanding, "That would be because you care for Shikamaru very much and you don't want him to get taken away by another girl"

"What do you mean by taken away? Is someone going to kidnap Shikamaru?" asked Naruto with a worried expression.

"No, that is not what I mean. When someone is taken in this situation, it means that their heart is taken by someone. Ayame is saying that Shikamaru might fall in love with Hinata" said Yoshino.

"But… I…" Naruto said, stunned by the new information, "I don't want Shikamaru to be taken by someone"

"I felt the same way about Shikaku back when I was trying to get him to notice me" said Yoshino, "As the clan heir back then, he had a lot of girls after his heart. I was just lucky enough to get it first"

"What happened?" asked Naruto, "what made him choose you rather than all the other girls?"

"Honestly? I don't know why he chose me. Back then there were girls much more beautiful than I was, smarter than I was, and richer than I was. I felt so happy when he chose to accept my invitation for a date" said Yoshino with a sad smile upon her face, "Right now I am trying to make up for all of my mistakes. This is the best piece of advice that I can give you right now: Listen to your heart no matter what. I didn't and I ended up hurting Shikaku very bad. While he has forgiven me, I don't think I will ever forgive myself for what I have done. Sometimes I wonder if he made the right choice by choosing me"

"Of course I did" said a voice from the doorway.

Shikaku strode into the room and hugged Yoshino from behind, "While I know I cannot make you forgive yourself, trust in my judgement and know that I made the right choice."

Naruto joined in on the hug as Yoshino wrapped her arms around both of them.

"So what was the part about Shikamaru?" asked Shikaku.

"How long have you been there jerk?" said Yoshino as she lightly slapped Shikaku's arm but with no real anger.

"I missed the first bit" said Shikaku innocently, "Anyway, let me see how I can help"

"Well… I was just saying about how I didn't want Shikamaru to get taken by another girl" said Naruto.

"Well… while it is good that you are thinking about love and everything, you must understand that you are still eight. You can take it slow and confess to him when the time is right. Guys like us don't like it when we see girls who would betray their friends in order to get the guy that they want. So regardless of what happens, I really do suggest that you never break up friendships to pursue a guy. If you are willing to abandon a friendship, then what is stopping you from ending a relationship just as quickly?" said Shikaku, "The best advice I can give you is to just take enough time. Don't wait too long, but don't go rushing in. Lastly, stay true to your heart and don't end friendships if you can help it."

Naruto nodded at the advice and gave both Shikaku and Yoshino a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you okasan, otousan, see you at dinner" Naruto said as she returned to her room to think about what they had just said.

"So why did you choose me?" asked Yoshino softly after Naruto was gone.

"You were the most beautiful of heart. You may not remember, but as a child you were always kind to me, even though I was essentially the lazy bastard of the class. All the other girls only changed their attitude once I became a successful ninja. I admired you, so when you ended up asking me out, I was glad for the opportunity" replied Shikaku as he hugged her tighter, "even at your worst times, I always saw the kindness and concern you had for me. That was why I chose you above all others"

"Are you trying to get me hot and bothered" asked Yoshino as she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"No but maybe after the kids are asleep. Advice is one thing, but giving the talk to the kids is something completely different" said Shikaku.

* * *

Hinata Hyuga was currently living her dream for the past month. Ever since she was saved by Shikamaru Nara, she had friends to look out for her, she had a girl that she would be able to open up to unlike the cold individuals in her clan, she had her prince charming who respects her despite her timidness, and she no longer was alone. Her little sister was civil to her but that was the extent of their bond, so she was glad to find a surrogate sister in Naruto despite the fact that she knows Naruto is her rival in love. During the first few days the two were a little tense between each other, but things cooled off once they had a chance to talk.

 ***Flashback***

"Listen Hinata, we have to talk… I like Shikamaru and I know that you like him too" said Naruto seriously, "While you are a nice person, I have to say that I won't lose to you. I have known him longer, and I know him better than you. So from this point on we are love rivals!"

"While you may know him longer, I will be the one to win his heart!" said a surprisingly confident Hinata, "Shikamaru saved me and made me feel good about myself again. I cannot lose him no matter what. Even to a friend…"

"So you still consider me a friend?" asked Naruto softly.

"Of course! You were also there to save me as well" said Hinata in a sad tone, "I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore, but you will still be a friend to me"

"Are you kidding?! Just because we are love rivals doesn't mean that we are friends! It just means that we like the same guy…" said Naruto with determination, "We are sisters in love, friends no matter what!"

"Yeah!" Hinata exclaimed before she realised what she had done and crawled back into her jacket in embarrassment.

"Aww, come on Hinata. You won't win if you aren't confident!" said Naruto kindly, "I can't have my love rival not match me… I am going to help you be confident! We are going to see Yoshino-okasan. She will know how to help you"

 ***Flashback End***

Hearing love advice from an older woman figure and being able to talk to her was something that Hinata had unfortunately not been able to have ever since the death of her mother. The kidnapping of the Hyuga incident had only helped shattered her already fragile state and left her to suffer alone in silence. Being able to talk to both Yoshino and Naruto had helped her regain some confidence. They had also introduced her to Ayako and the quartet now had weekly 'girl's nights' to just simple relax while Shikaku, Choji and Shikamaru did their own thing, which was either shoji, eating or cloud watching.

Due to her change, her father was much softer and kinder in dealing with her. Before her change he was often stern and heavy handed in dealing with both her and her sister. He would try to force her in situations such as sparring with her sister in order to try to push her out of her shell. Afterward he would have a sad disappointed look when she would lose and not defend herself.

Upon noticing the change he was confused and pleased with her progress and asked Hinata about the cause of then transformation. Upon her confession of opening up due to spending time with her new group of friends and also with the support of her girl's group, her father had paled and sank to his knees.

 ***Flashback***

"I owe you an apology my dearest daughter" said Hiashi softly, tears were building up at the edges of his eyes and he blankly stares at the ground before him, "I… I didn't know… I had thought that what you needed was a push in the right direction… To not notice my daughter suffering… I am a terrible father"

Hinata could only look at the image of her strong, stone-cold father, weeping on his knees. His normally stern gaze filled with sadness and regret.

"I thought I had to be harsh to pry you out of your shell… I thought that if I was stern, you would be able to work hard and be strong. If I wasn't able to build you to your potential, the clan elders would seal you. I tried so hard to protect you… To be so blind…" said Hiashi softly, "Your mother would hate me for the mistake I have made"

Upon hearing this, Hinata snapped out of her trance and quickly embraced her father.

"I always thought that I disappointed you father, now that I know, I am happy. You were not cruel out of disappointment but to protect me. So I love you father and thank you for everything" said Hinata softly.

"But I wasn't able to help you. As a father I am the worst. What use is my strength when I could not help my own daughter" said Hiashi softly.

"You tried to help by making me strong. While you weren't the best father, you were a father that loved me, and that was all I needed" said Hinata.

 ***Flashback End***

After that, Hiashi had taken his duties as a father very seriously. He placed his family above his duties as his clan head and forcefully retired each of the elders to punish them on their misdeeds for power and prestige. They had protested harshly but he silenced their protest with a swift display of his skill in the Byakugan, and the Hyuga taijutsu Juuken. Now he would only handle the major affairs of the clan while the rest were delegated to various branch members which allowed him more time with his family.

Her little sister, Hanabi, had also benefitted from the kinder demeanour of Hiashi and was more sisterly towards Hinata though she was still extremely prideful of the clan, much to Hiashi's dismay. He was heavily displeased that the views of the old power hungry elders had influenced his daughter even if it was just a little.

Overall, Hinata's life was good and she was extremely grateful to both Shikamaru and Naruto for helping her to this point.

"By the way, Shikamaru's birthday is the 22nd of September" said Yoshino with an all knowing smirk, "This is your big chance Hinata and Naruto"

"22nd?!" shouted Naruto and Hinata in tandem.

"But that is in two weeks!" said Naruto, "How am I supposed to find a gift in two weeks? I can't even buy anything!"

"Don't worry" said Yoshino, "Shikamaru never liked stuff we bought off the market, homemade gifts are the best ones for Shikamaru"

"But Hinata still has the advantage; she gets to buy stuff from stores! Plus she has all her money" whined Naruto.

"I will make something as well so don't worry Naruto-chan. I won't buy something from a store that rejects you either" said Hinata in a determined manner, "I will win with my own two hands"

"Wow, you got really confident haven't you Hinata" asked Ayako.

"Of course if I want to keep up with my rival" she said in a faux-haughty manner.

"Bring it on! I am going to make the best present for Shika-kun!" exclaimed Naruto.

"We will see" said Hinata.

"Do you guys even know what to get him" asked a bemused Ayako.

Both of them froze as they ran through all of their knowledge on Shikamaru. After a minute of silence the duo slowly turned to Yoshino with pleading looks on their faces. Their eyes enlarged to an inhumanly cute size as they gave Yoshino the cutest pout they could give.

"What is a good gift for Shikamaru" they said in unison.

Yoshino only turned her gaze away from the duo with an embarrassed blush upon her face and said… "I don't know."

"WHAT?! How can you not know?" asked Naruto in shock.

"Well he never played with any of the toys that we bought him as a child and he thought the clothes we bought him were too troublesome to wear. We bought him books once and he liked that but now that he has recently gotten a lot of books out of nowhere I really don't know what else to get him" said Yoshino sheepishly, "He still hasn't told me where he got those books. He even found ones that were on the Konoha charter and the traditional clan laws. Even our Nara library doesn't have those, only the council and the Hokage have them and I am pretty sure Shikaku didn't give them to Shikamaru. I thought that they redacted all of the extra copies with the law passed by the council to protect information. You two wouldn't have any idea how he got those books did you?"

Both Naruto and Hinata looked anywhere but Yoshino at the news of Shikamaru's library. Both of them had been helping Shikamaru smuggle away books from the library at every chance they could get. Naruto had told Shikamaru to take care of any of the Uzumaki books that he finds since she didn't know the first thing about preserving them and the fact that she had books would definitely warrant questioning by Yoshino and Shikaku.

"N-no" they said.

Yoshino narrowed her eyes at the two of them before she sighed in resignation.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me, but no dessert for the both of you. That means no cinnamon buns and no ramen today" said Yoshino with an evil smile on her face.

The duo looked conflicted for a second before they toughened their exteriors with tears in their eyes. They nodded their heads in agreement and sorrow.

"Poor ramen" said Naruto sadly, "I am sorry that I could not eat you"

"Poor cinnamon buns" said Hinata, "I will miss you"

"So," said Yoshino in a bright tone, happy that the two would give up their favourite foods for their friend, "What do we get Shikamaru?"

"Maybe a book he doesn't have?" asked Ayako, "I once saw a man with spiky grey hair reading an orange book in the street. He was giggling the entire time so it must be a very funny book"

"Oh, aren't those the books that you have in your room Okasan?" asked Naruto innocently.

"N-No, those are d-different books and they are for adults only" said Yoshino with a bright red blush on her face, "And when did you go into my room without permission?"

"When you told me to get your comb cus you forgot it" replied Naruto, "I tripped over something and I saw the books behind your mirror"

"Oh" said Yoshino, "Cinnamon buns and ramen if nobody mentions the books again."

The girls cheered as they thought about all of the treats they would eat.

"Anyway, presents… Any ideas?" said Ayako after they all calmed down.

"I'll just cook a big dinner for him" said Yoshino, "it is you guys that need the help"

* * *

It has been a week and both Hinata and Naruto had thought of no ideas for the present. They had asked all sorts of people for ideas only to come up blank. Iruka had suggested a birthday card but both of them knew it wasn't enough. Ayako had already decided to get Shikamaru an instrument based on Choji's statement that Shikamaru liked to challenge himself mentally. Shikaku said for them to make something that is meaningful to both Shikamaru and them.

"Okay, truce… We both need ideas and we need them fast" said Naruto.

"Yeah, any suggestions for what we can make?" asked Hinata.

"Well, what can we make in the first place?" asked Naruto, "I am halfway through the level one seals so I only know a bit about them. Other than seals I got nothing"

"I know flower pressing and a little bit on medicine" said Hinata, "Not as much as Shikamaru though"

"Hmm… I see" said Naruto, "So are we really making a card? Cus that is all I can think about right now with our skills"

"Why don't we make the card interesting? Do you know any seals that can help us?" asked Hinata.

"I know a colour changing seal, an activate seal, a timing seal, and containment seal" said Naruto, "Using the seals I can organise them to make a storage scroll, a seal that changes the colour of something every few seconds and that is about it"

"I can press flowers into the design of the card, you can change the colour of the words ever few seconds and we can seal our real present in the card. That way we both make something and have something to give" said Hinata.

"That doesn't solve our problem about the present through…" said Naruto sadly.

"Who else haven't we asked?" said Hinata, "I could ask my father for any advice but he doesn't really know Shikamaru well"

"Oh I know! I can ask the old man!" exclaimed Naruto excitedly, "You haven't met him before so I gotta introduce you to him"

"You call the Hokage old man?" said Hinata blankly.

"Yep! It reminds me that I am still just a man even though I wear this hat" said Hiruzen happily, "So what can I do for you"

"We need ideas for Shikamaru's gift and we don't wanna buy anything" said Naruto, "Shikamaru doesn't want anything from anyone who treats me bad"

"I see" said Hiruzen sadly, "What about a card?"

"We already are making him one" said Hinata, getting over the fact that Naruto talked to the most powerful man in Konoha so casually, "we need a gift to seal in the card"

"Hmm… I remember when Biwako asked me out on a date on my birthday, ahh to be young again" said Hiruzen as he reminisced about happier times.

"So you s-say w-we should ask h-him out o-on his b-birthday?" stuttered Hinata as the duo blushed red.

"Oh no, Hiashi would kill me and probably kill Shikamaru too… I hear that young Shikamaru is getting quite motivated outside of school though, how about you get him some training weights or something?" said Hiruzen, smiling at the blushing duo.

"But we can't buy them from anywhere" said Naruto.

"Oh, I know a place. It is called the Jade Armoury and it is run by an old friend of mine" said Hiruzen, "she won't turn away a customer"

"Thank you Hokage-sama" said Hinata with a bow.

"Thanks old man" said Naruto.

The Jade Armoury turned out to be a very fancy store that was in the higher district of Konoha. Naruto felt uncomfortable as she passed into the armoury which stocked various weapons and accessories. Each one with a high price tag placed on top of in making Naruto feel uneasy. Hinata looked around and saw the quality blades and assortments and knew that this was a good shop.

"Hello, how may I help you? We have fine wares at fine prices. Quality that cannot be beat" said the shopkeeper at the counter with a friendly smile.

"Uhh, do you have anything that is good for training?" asked Naruto.

The shopkeeper thought for a second before she moved over to the training section before she pointed out to the sealed training weights and the practice weapons section.

"Well, you might want to stay away from the heavier weapons due to your size so I suggest a tanto or maybe some battle fans" recommended the woman, "Stay away from the weights as well. If you use them when you are too young you will stunt your growth."

"Oh it isn't for us, but for our friend. It is his birthday in a week and we want to get him something" responded Hinata.

"Oh well does your friend have a preference?" asked the woman.

"Uhh… since he is our age I guess that he shouldn't use weights so, maybe some special kunai or something. Are there any kunai that are special or something?" asked Naruto.

"Well we have a few, but they might be out of your price range. We do have a kunai holster that can hold kunai up his sleeve. It will allow him to quick draw and it is only 10000 ryo" said the woman.

"I think we will take that" said Hinata as she turned to look at Naruto, "Anything else?"

Naruto eyed the battle fans in curiosity before she shook her head.

"Thank you for your kind service shopkeeper-san…" said Naruto before she realised that she didn't know the woman's name.

"Oh, my name is Hariko Higarashi. Nice to meet you" said the woman.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki dattebayo!" said Naruto with a smile.

"I am Hinata Hyuga, nice to meet you too" said Hinata politely.

"You are both welcome back anytime" said Hariko kindly as she handed the kunai holster over to the girls and collected the money, "I hope your friend likes his present"

"Bye!" the two said in tandem.

* * *

"That is my victory father" said Shikamaru happily, "My first victory against you!"

Shikaku just stared at the board with a heavy look of concentration as he mapped out every possible combination, looking for any way out of defeat. Seeing that it was futile and that he had lost he looked towards his son in pride. Choji just stared at Shikamaru in awe, not once had any of Shikamaru's games with his father resulted in a win. To beat Konoha's shadow strategist was truly an honour, Shikaku had not lost a game for 20 years and that was to Shikamaru's grandfather, Shikafuji.

"Good job son. I see you have finally beaten me in a game" said Shikaku, "I wasn't able to beat my father until I was 17 and that was when he was sick and decided it was too troublesome to continue."

Shikamaru just smiled and lied down to relax from the stressful battle that just took place.

 _'Good job Shika-kun!'_ said Yami.

 _'Thanks Yami'_ responded Shikamaru as he savoured his victory.

"Time for dinner boys!" called Yoshino from the dining room.

"I guess the rematch will have to wait" sighed Shikamaru as the three packed up the board.

"I guess it is time to teach you some clan jutsu. I can't exactly follow tradition if you can't do any jutsu" said Shikaku as he smirked at Shikamaru's surprised face, "It is tradition that when the son surpasses the father, he is ready to learn the advanced shadow techniques. Unfortunately I can't give you those if you don't know the basic techniques first. So we will start training after dinner"

Shikamaru smiled in response before he nodded in acceptance, "I won't disappoint you father"

"Darn… You get to start on clan jutsu a year early" laughed Choji, "I swear the old you is grumbling somewhere."

"Maybe" said Shikamaru as the three walked into the dining room.

* * *

Shikaku and Shikamaru were standing outside in the Nara grounds while Naruto and Yoshino stood at the side watching in curiosity.

"I thought you weren't going to teach him clan jutsu until next year" said Yoshino, "Unless I just so happened to sleep for a long time, I am pretty sure that this isn't supposed to happen for a while"

"Shikamaru managed to beat me in Shogi" responded Shikaku.

Yoshino looked at Shikamaru in surprise before she gave him an encouraging smile, "Good job Shikamaru!"

"I don't get it" said Naruto in a confused manner.

"Whenever the Nara heir beats the clan head in Shogi, they are given the right to learn our advanced jutsu. Since Shikamaru surprised us all with beating Shikaku early, he gets to start learning earlier as well" said Yoshino.

Naruto nodded in understanding before she began shouting about how Shikamaru was awesome.

"Okay, first you need to push your chakra into your shadow and feel it take control" instructed Shikaku.

Shikamaru guided his chakra into his shadow and felt it take hold. It was different from naturally controlling it like normal but it wasn't completely foreign.

"Now I need to try to push the shadow over to me and link it" said Shikaku.

Shikamaru easily extended the shadow and connected it to Shikaku's shadow.

"Good, you have talent. Normally it takes weeks to get the hang of it" said Shikaku.

 _'Maybe because you have been doing this naturally for months, it is just the same but with chakra and the shadows are not solid'_ chuckled Yami.

"Now, use your chakra to attempt to overpower me and control my actions" said Shikaku.

 _'Here goes nothing'_ Shikamaru said to Yami as he used his chakra to hold and control Shikaku's body. For a moment Shikaku didn't respond before his form shifted into the crouched form of Shikamaru.

"Good. I think you are the first to get the basic jutsu down so fast" said Shikaku proudly, "since you seem to just breeze through the shadow possession jutsu, I am going to teach you the shadow strangle jutsu. It is only a little more advanced. All you need to do is form the shadow into hands and stretch them up your opponent. What it does is that it uses your shadow to place pressure on parts of your opponent to incapacitate them or… otherwise" he finished as he gave Yoshino a quick sideways glance.

"Got it" replied Shikamaru, completely missing the looks between his mother and father. He stretched his shadow up to his father's neck and applied a bit of pressure to make it had for him to breathe.

"Good, now you can release your technique" said Shikaku, seemingly unaffected, "That would have incapacitated anyone who was less skilled then me. You have achieved so much in a mere 20 minutes, a true prodigy."

Shikamaru just smiled at the compliment, "What next?" he asked.

"Well, I think that is enough for one day. I want you to practice all of that and master it before we go on. Once your shadow takes the minimum amount of chakra for both jutsus then we can start to move on to the bigger things. I also want you to work on refining your shadow's power. People who are physically strong may be able to resist your shadow capture technique. Also, our techniques are much stronger in darkness due to the massive availability of shadows so make sure you take this into account in battle. The current you are stronger than you would be in the late morning or at noon, make sure to remember this." said Shikaku seriously.

 _'Well that is actually very useful in non-lethal situations. No wonder the Ino-Shika-Cho formation is a capture and interrogation squad'_ said Yami.

 _'Yeah, although isn't as useful as your ability, its non-lethal nature makes it the perfect sparring technique. Also the chakra imbued shadow also works in no light whereas the alchemic shadows do not. The alchemic shadow and chakra shadow techniques balance each other out'_ said Shikamaru happily.

"I will show you the shadow sewing technique once you are done" said Shikaku happily.

Over the next few days, Shikaku would regularly drag Shikamaru out and teach him clan jutsu to distract him away from the house for the girls to wrap their presents and prepare for the party. Shikamaru was suspicious due to the frequency his father would drag him out of the house but he chalked it up to him wanting to pass on his knowledge. He also knew it was his birthday so he was pretty sure that they were planning something.

Yoshino had ordered all of the decorations and had just finished placing them in place with the help of Naruto and Hinata. Ayako and Choji would be arriving later due to them picking up their gifts. The invitations were all sent and the guests would be arriving soon. Yoshino was fussing over the last details of the cake while Naruto and Hinata were doing the same with their card.

"Do you think Shikamaru would like it?" asked Naruto shyly.

"Let's hope so" replied an equally nervous Hinata.

The bell rang and Yoshino quickly went to greet the guests. In came Hiruzen, Iruka, Hiashi, Ayako, Ayame, Choji, Choza, Asami, Inoichi and Miyako. They all quickly moved into the house and got ready to celebrate with the young Nara.

"Sorry that I couldn't bring Ino. She was very insistent on playing with her friends rather than coming. She said something about some Uchiha" apologised Miyako, "I had hoped that my daughter wouldn't make the mistakes that I made when I was young but I suppose she will learn"

"Remember that time when you were chasing after Hiroki or whatever his name was? You were always gushing about him" teased Yoshino.

"I was only 11! What was I supposed to know? Just because you had a crush on Shikaku forever" retorted Miyako.

"Yeah, but look how we all turned out" said Yoshino happily while Inoko broke out a smile.

"My poor Inoichi had to stand me bitching to him all the time. I couldn't believe I fell into the trap of civilian women. Can you imagine that? We were taught not to trust anyone and we did just that to some old jealous hags because we used to be in the same academy class… I am just so glad that Inoichi stayed with me after all these years" said Miyako sadly as she hugged her husband's arm, "I wouldn't have made it if Inoichi left me"

"Don't worry, I loved you for so long, I wouldn't have left anyway" responded Inoichi.

"I can't believe we trusted them over our own husbands" said Asami sadly as she stuffed her face with food.

"What is done is done" said Choza happily, "I am just glad everything is okay, besides we men did go drinking way too many times afterwards when we should have talked to you more so we are both at fault"

"Yeah, everything is perfect right now, so let's enjoy it" said Inoichi happily.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with your wives making it up to you?" teased Yoshino as both couple spluttered in denial.

Shikaku then walked in at that point with a lazy wave and walked straight to his wife, giving her a big kiss.

"Shikamaru figured out your plan from the start. He is in his room and making himself presentable for the party, he will be back in a bit" said Shikaku, "What did I miss?"

"Something you want to tell us about making up with your husband?" teased Asami as she momentarily turned the tables.

"Of course I made up, why wouldn't I?" said Yoshino saucily as she gave Shikaku one more kiss for emphasis.

"I guess we all had quite a bit of making up" said Inoichi, "Well again, sorry Ino didn't come to the party Shikaku. She is in a phase"

"I don't think Shikamaru would mind too much now. He has been pretty happy with his own friends" he said as he gestured to Hinata and Naruto who were happily chatting about something, "I think he has more than enough girl troubles for now"

"Hahaha, already a lady killer at such a young age, you must be proud Shikaku" laughed Choza, "Smart too, I heard how he managed to beat you in Shogi"

"What? Already? But he is so young" said Inoichi in shock, "How is he along in shadow techniques?"

"He has all of the basic clan techniques mastered in record time. He will be ready to take on the advanced techniques in no time" said Shikaku proudly, "If he decided to apply himself at the academy he probably would be in ANBU right now"

"Why doesn't he? I mean he is really motivated" asked Asami.

"Actually, that is probably due to Naruto" said Iruka as he passed by the conversation with Hiruzen, "He saw that Naruto was being bullied so he basically took her place at dead last and outwitted all of the teacher saboteurs and classmates. If he left Naruto would probably be bullied by the rest of the class except Choji and Hinata. He is a remarkable boy…"

"The will of fire burns strong in him" said Hiruzen, "I just wish that I could do more to help other than random inspections. So far Shikamaru has been the most effective in protecting Naruto. He is not only smart enough to outwit the teachers but he is also able to fend off the social isolation caused by his classmates. If I knew he wanted to, I would have promoted him to Jonin by now"

"I also heard that he saved my daughter in more ways than one... You have a very good son" said Hiashi.

"Wait what about Ino… Please don't tell me my princess has actually abandoned Shikamaru" said Inoichi.

"Well… She doesn't interact with him at all. She has her own little group that is part of the popular cohort and she thinks he is below her standards" said Iruka regretfully as he looked at Inoichi and Miyako's heartbroken faces, "While her group regularly spreads rumours about Shikamaru and his group Ino hasn't directly done anything from what I know. They mostly focus on the Uchiha"

"Don't worry, Shikamaru had said that it didn't really bother him" said Shikaku comfortingly.

Inoichi and Miyako nodded in acceptance.

"Do you think Shikamaru would want to see us?" asked Miyako sadly.

"Of course, just because Ino and Shikamaru aren't friends doesn't mean you won't be his Miya-oba" laughed Yoshino, "You were always nice to him and I am sure he remembers that"

"Of course I do" said Shikamaru as he entered the room in a white dress shirt and black dress pants, "I don't blame you for what Ino does. That would be like blaming Naruto for something she couldn't control"

Miyako smiled at Shikamaru before she gave him a big hug, "How is my little Shika-Chan? Playing hero for a couple of princesses I hear?"

"Yeah, long time no see Miya-oba" said Shikamaru happily, "You to Nochi-oji, glad you both came"

"Of course we would" Inoichi happily, feeling a little better at the situation.

"Thank you all for coming to my party" said Shikamaru as he gave all of them a polite bow.

"Thank you for saving my daughter and helping her grow so much... Thank you for helping me realise my failings as well" responded Hiashi as he bowed in return.

"Ahh, you must be Hyuga-sama. Nice to meet you sir" said Shikamaru politely.

"Please, just call me Hiashi. I have had enough of formalities back at home" said Hiashi, "Now go ahead and join with your group. Don't want to keep the ladies waiting"

"Thank you Hiashi-sama" said Shikamaru as he gave both Iruka and Hiruzen one last bow of respect and headed off to the group.

"He has really grown out of his lazy shell hasn't he" said Choza happily, "I almost didn't think that they were the same person"

"Yes and a fine man as well" said Iruka happily, "He acts totally different in the classroom. His deception is amazing; right now you would hardly think he is a Nara"

"Haha, I suppose our laziness is infamous" said Shikaku, "Not that I have been really inactive either… I had to pick up my own training in order to make sure that Shikamaru doesn't surpass me too soon"

"Anyway, we should start eating the food now. I don't want to have my entire meal end up being cold" said Yoshino as she went to gather the kids over.

"Alright who wants to give their presents first?" asked Hiruzen.

"I suppose I should start" said Shikaku as he pulled out a scroll from one of his pockets, "This is the Shadow Barrier technique. It lets you create a protective sphere to protect you and your allies. The size depends on the amount of chakra you use. You can practice it while I am gone on any missions"

"Thank you, I will use it well" said Shikamaru in response, excited at the thought of a protective jutsu.

"Well from me, I have your favourite cake. It isn't much but…" said Yoshino softly.

"I love it mum, don't worry. I can't wait to eat it later" said Shikamaru happily.

"Well from me and my wife, we have some formal suits that should fit you whenever you need to dress up for your lady friends" said Inoichi with a slight smirk.

"Go get them tiger" laughed Miyako.

"Thank you, I will wear them whenever I need to" said Shikamaru with slightly red cheeks.

"I have some passes to the Hyuga hot spring spa for both you and all your friends; I hope you can use them to relax whenever you wish. It allows for unlimited free uses whenever you feel like relaxing" said Hiashi proudly advertising his establishment.

"Thank you very much" said Shikamaru in appreciation.

"I have some special kunai that allow you to channel chakra into them to strengthen your blows and make your shots more accurate" said Iruka, "I have seen how good you are during your practices after school, these can return to you once you activate the seal so you don't have to spend time picking them up. The seal is an attraction seal on the inside of the pouch"

"Thank you, they will be well used in the future" said Shikamaru.

"We got you an all you can eat pass at any of our buffets" said Asami, "Use it well; your lady friends might appreciate a date"

Shikamaru once again blushed at the tease not noticing both Hinata and Naruto mirroring his colour.

"Thanks, I appreciate it" said Shikamaru.

"Our turn," said Ayako, "Choji and I got you a Violin! This should really give your brain a workout"

"And you can always just learn a new song if you are bored" said Choji.

"Thank you both, I will try my best to learn what I can" said Shikamaru.

"Here is a coupon for Ichiraku for whenever you want to go on a date" laughed Ayame as she not so subtly gestured at Naruto and Hinata leaving Shikamaru blushing red.

"Here is a book about elemental manipulation, you will need it soon by the way you are progressing" said Hiruzen as he handed over a small leather bound volume to Shikamaru.

"Thank you Hokage-sama" replied Shikamaru.

"Lastly is our gift to you," said both Hinata and Naruto as they handed Shikamaru their handmade card, "We sealed your present inside of the card, hope you like it"

"Thank you, I love it. The calligraphy and the pressed flowers are beautiful" said Shikamaru as he opened the card to see 'For our prince'. Activating the seal he sees the kunai holster appear in a small puff of smoke.

"Thank you both" said Shikamaru as he gave both of them a hug which made them both blush like a tomato.

* * *

After a little while the party died down and everyone said their farewells, going back before the night became too late.

"Hey Shikamaru, happy birthday" said Yami once Shikamaru had entered his mindscape after he fell asleep, "I know that I can't really get you a present so…"

"It is okay, your company is more than enough" said Shikamaru, "it technically is your birthday as well isn't it? So happy birthday"

"Thank you…" said Yami happily, "I guess this can be my present"

She leaned over and gave Shikamaru another kiss on the cheek.

"One day, I will get a real present for you but until then, this will have to do" she said with a small blush upon her cheek.

"I will find a way to get you into the real world one day" said Shikamaru determinedly, "That will be my present to you."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Chapter 3! How did you guys like it? OP Shikamaru or what? I wonder where this story would take me next? Remember to review, fav, and follow. Support my Pa Treon /StatusInc if you can. I will probably start updating once every two weeks from now on since life is starting to unload responsibilities onto me. I will keep you posted if anything else happens.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Shadow's Touch**

 **Chapter 4: Culling of Corruption**

Finally, every single redacted book was now in Shikamaru's personal collection. He had only read half of them but the main part was getting them out of the library. Most of the redacted books were on the Uzumaki and their connection to the village but there were a few on clan laws that the council didn't want people knowing about. A few unsavoury laws such as the drafting of powerful children into the ninja force were implemented by the council while they were in power during the transition from the Yondaime back to the Sandaime. A council member named Danzo had also passed a law on getting clan members to offer him their children to be trained into soldiers for the council's private army called 'ROOT'. The man had wanted one member from each ninja clan and he got what he wanted for the most part. The Nara's were smart enough to have protection laws in their clan during the forming of the village that prevented this from occurring. The same went for the Hyuga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Uzumaki. All of the other clans had forfeited a child.

' _Man, I didn't think that the civilian council had this much power over the shinobi village. If the clan laws allowed it, I am sure that Danzo would have taken me'_ thought Shikamaru.

' _It sure is messed up isn't it?'_ said Yami

' _You bet it is. If the Hokage didn't protect Naruto then I am sure that she would have been under Danzo's thumb as well… The clans would have been in a much dire situation as well. Hinata and the other clan heirs would have been subjected to so much cruelty. The Hokage is getting old now so I guess it is my turn to step up to the challenge'_ said Shikamaru.

' _What are we going to do about it then?'_ asked Yami.

' _The council's main form of power is money. The book that was written by a death row prison had detailed all of the corrupt dealings of Danzo and the civilian council. I probably guess it was why they had the prisoner executed. The prisoner was smart enough to publish one book and smuggle it into the academy library. When they found out, the only option was to redact the book and kill the man'_ said Shikamaru, ' _All I need to do is stop that flow. They don't have many guards for the money. The procedures are basically that they drop the money in a sealed container and the council collects it an hour later to avoid suspicion. I can get through the protection using alchemy to disintegrate the container and take the money. Worst case scenario, I disintegrate the money as well'_

' _Stealing from the rich I see… I like it'_ said Yami, _'They would have changed the procedure since then though'_

' _Doesn't matter, I have to test my skills anyway. With all of the alchemic knowledge that I have now, as well as the clan jutsu that I mastered, I should be able to sneak past any guards'_ said Shikamaru.

' _Seriously… Shadow Travel Jutsu is so overpowered when combined with your natural shadow control and since your shadow is much faster than chakra shadow, you essentially are a teleporting overpowered ninja'_ said Yami, _'On top of that you are crazy smart…'_

' _Don't forget I can heal myself very quickly using Alkahestry, so I am hard to kill as well'_ laughed Shikamaru, _'Shadow travel takes a lot of concentration and chakra though'_

' _Whatever'_ pouted Yami with a huff, _'What are you going to do about the corrupt clan elders?'_

' _I am planning to reveal this to the clan heads through anonymous letters. I hear that the Uchiha Clan are almost entirely controlled by their elders now so I may have to send this info to the Hokage'_ said Shikamaru, ' _I can only hope he doesn't arrest me for theft afterwards… Revealing corruption should counteract the crime right?'_

' _We both know that you can break out of prison easily'_ said Yami dismissively.

' _Yeah, but what will happen to everyone involved with me?'_ asked Shikamaru sternly, ' _I don't want them to suffer'_

' _Why don't you just ask your dad?'_ said Yami.

' _He is sworn into the shinobi council. While the Nara clan doesn't have elders anymore, he still has to report everything to the council. Until I can deal with the council, he can't know yet. It is probably why both he and mum don't go peeking into my books, not that I don't have contingencies'_ said Shikamaru.

' _I think hiding all the books in your secret place by creating a cavern with alchemy and then creating fake copies of story books in your room to throw off any suspicion and then buying a few hundreds of books from an outside provider to completely mask any suspicion is a bit much'_ said Yami dryly.

' _My father would have questioned me and I didn't know enough about seals to pull off the presence concealment seal. Now that I do, I will seal up the hideout to prevent anyone from finding it except people who both Naruto and I allow'_ said Shikamaru confidently.

' _You really like to think things through don't you?'_ said Yami.

' _That is right, better to prepare for the worst than be underprepared'_ said Shikamaru calmly, "Done!"

The stone boulder of the plateau was now covered in so many intricate seals that it resembled an artwork more than a piece of the environment. Shikamaru pushed a little chakra into the activation rune and the whole area shimmered for a bit before it returned to normal.

"Hey what was that?" said Naruto as she climbed onto the plateau. "Was it seals again?"

"Yep, I have now warded this entire area, it is completely safe now" said Shikamaru, "Our private place is a complete mystery and cannot be seen by anyone unless we both allow the person"

"Wow! Even I haven't gotten this far with seals" said Naruto happily, "I wish I could do all this"

"You are learning pretty fast already. I just have a really steep learning curve" said Shikamaru simply.

"It is at times like these that I wish that you were as lazy as everyone said you were before you met me. It is totally unfair that you get to be a genius and have the drive to work hard" whined Naruto.

"The Yondaime was like that too you know. He was a really talented civilian who just happened to have the drive and motivation to work hard" said Shikamaru, "It is written in his biography that was strangely redacted. I guess the civilian council didn't like him for being so popular and removing their power"

"Woah, then what am I going to do? You are gonna leave me in the dust!" said Naruto with a small pout.

"Just do the best that you can. You probably haven't unlocked your bloodline yet so don't worry. You will catch up soon enough" replied Shikamaru.

"I have a bloodline?" asked Naruto incredulously.

"Well the Uzumaki have large chakra pools, longevity, fast healing, talent in seals and the chains of binding as well. It is said that their chains can even bind the Bijuu" said Shikamaru.

"Wow! I am awesome! I will catch up to you Shika-kun, just you wait!" declared Naruto.

"I can't wait" smirked Shikamaru.

* * *

Shikamaru was currently tracking the council's bribery money. He asked Yami to stretch the shadows to monitor the village at night. Eventually he found out that the council had an underground base where their army was. He also found that the majority of the council's private funds are all kept in a vault underneath Konoha in order to keep their funds off records. The vault was heavily guarded with chakra detection seals and 50 root guards stationed outside of the vault.

' _Too bad they can't defend against an alchemist'_ thought Shikamaru, _'This will be easy if everything goes to plan'_

Shikamaru spent the next week mapping out all of the routine checks on the vault as well as any withdrawals. During this time, his shadows discovered that they had a ledger that had records on all of the deposits and withdrawals from the vault that was kept in Danzo's office, one that was heavily guarded at all times. With no way of getting the ledger without anyone noticing, he decided to focus on the vault.

Shikamaru also got to know of a plan to slaughter the Uchiha and take the Sharingan eyes for the ROOT foundation. The elders would place a genjutsu on the clan head and make him start the rebellion. The Uchiha would then be slaughtered and Danzo would swoop in and collect all of the Sharingan. The elders would have been double crossed and killed as well to save funds. Not only that, but Danzo was also collaborating with Orochimaru of the Sannin to run experiments on his ninja as well as other civilians to create more powerful soldiers.

Shikamaru knew that after the heist, he would have to tell the Hokage about all of this. There was nothing he could do alone to stop their activities save slaughtering them and he didn't want to resort to that. Once he had clipped the council of their 'wings', he would be able to come clean without any of the council interfering and bribing their way out of trouble.

" _Don't you think it would be beneficial if we just killed the organisation?"_ asked Yami.

" _If I did, then what? They get mourned as innocents and the clan elders get away Scott-free. Not only that, but if I get caught, they will target my family. If they discover my powers, then I will become a breeding stock or get brain-washed into a super soldier for them. Plus I will also have Orochimaru after me as well"_ said Shikamaru, _"No, this is the best option"_

Shikamaru sneaked away from Naruto's sleeping form before he headed off into the Konoha forest. He ran through the treetops until he stopped at an ordinary clearing. He analysed his map that he had drawn before he double checked the position with Yami. He was approximately 3 km above where the Vault was. There were no rooms in between here and the vault for security measures. Unfortunately they had never encountered an alchemist before.

Shikamaru took a deep breath before he began to use Alchemy to create a chute that lead directly into the vault. He constructed the chute to be in the form of a spiral to allow for a smooth descent down into the vault. He was essentially making a really large slide. Around halfway there Shikamaru began to feel the toll of making such a large construct. Three quarters and Shikamaru was sweating as if he had run a marathon. The chute reached right until the wall of the vault before Shikamaru finally allowed himself to rest. Breathing heavily he allowed himself a bit of reprieve. After a few minutes of rest he slowly moved his sore muscles into a standing position.

"Here goes nothing" said Shikamaru quietly before he climbed into the chute. Before he went spiralling down he made sure to seal the exit with alchemy to prevent anyone investigating as to why there was a manhole in the middle of nowhere.

"Down the rabbit hole he goes I guess" laughed the exerted Shikamaru.

The slide was smooth and slow so Shikamaru had nothing to do but to count the seconds of his descent and recover from his alchemic construction. After what seemed like forever, Shikamaru absentmindedly noted that there were gold veins as well as various jewels that were embedded in the rock as he descended. They could be mined quickly by an alchemist of his calibre.

Eventually his descent came to a halt at a small room with a wall separating him from the vault. He carefully pressed his ear to the wall to hear for any people and sure enough he heard a bunch of sacks being thrown into the vault before a loud thud signified the sealing of the vault. He waited for a little while before he used alchemy to disintegrate a thin shell of the inside of the vault. This removed all of the seals carved into the vault at once and prevented any alert seals from triggering. After checking one last time that no one was inside he used alchemy to open a small hole into the vault.

Upon stepping in he discovered not only trillions of ryo but a library full of scrolls and important jutsu. There were also a collection of fine pieces of jewellery and millions of gold bars. Shikamaru allowed himself to stare at the collection in awe for a moment before he took out his numerous sealing scrolls and begun sealing away the entirety of the contents of the vault as quick as he could. It took him the better part of an hour in order to complete his task but he had done it. He quickly placed a genjutsu seal on a 1000 ryo note to make it look like it hasn't been touched and left as quickly as possible. The genjutsu would disappear as soon as the timer on it ran out, making it look as if one of the people who had bribed the council had betrayed them.

He sealed the wall behind him and allowed himself a little sigh of relief before he used his alchemy to push himself halfway up to the surface. He used the last of the alchemy to harvest all of the gold and jewels before he collapsed in exhaustion.

' _I may have gotten away but I am wiped'_ said Shikamaru, _'Wake me up in an hour, I need to get back to Naruto before the morning comes, otherwise I will lose my alibi if I am ever investigated'_

' _Relax, there is no way they will track this to you'_ said Yami, _'You literally just pulled off the impossible in their eyes'_

' _It never hurts to be careful… Also Naruto will worry if I am not there'_ said Shikamaru.

' _Just go to sleep prince charming, I will wake you in an hour'_ Yami responded as Shikamaru's eyes drifted close, ' _You did well today'_

* * *

Shikamaru was able to get back before the sun rose but unfortunately, he was also dead tired…

Shikamaru was currently cursing the sunlight as he forced his tired muscles to carry him back to his house for breakfast.

"Oi Shikamaru, are you sick? You don't look so well" said Naruto in concern.

"I just had a late night" replied Shikamaru, "I need to get breakfast before I go to the Hokage tower. I would go right now but I am just way too hungry. Plus mum would be upset if I ate breakfast outside of the house"

"What is the rush?" asked Naruto.

"I discovered some important information that the Hokage needs to know. I am sorry I can't tell you yet but if I did, then you might be in danger" said Shikamaru seriously, "I promise to tell you when it is all over ok?"

Naruto looked at Shikamaru's stony expression and understood how serious the matter was.

"Alright, but don't make it a habit" said Naruto with a small pout.

"I promise that I won't withhold information unless it will put you in danger" responded Shikamaru as he allowed his expression to soften, "I will also tell you when I won't tell you something so you know that I am not hiding anything without you knowing"

"Good" said Naruto happily.

Upon arriving at the breakfast table, both Shikaku and Yoshino noticed Shikamaru's bags and Naruto smile of happiness and instantly came to the wrong conclusion.

"Umm… What did the two of you get up to last night?" Shikaku said cautiously.

"I busy while Naruto was fast asleep" said Shikamaru calmly while both Yoshino and Shikaku choked.

"And you didn't ask permission from Naruto?" asked a blushing Yoshino.

"No, but I told her about it in the morning and she was fine with it… How did you know anyway? Other than my baggy eyes" asked Shikamaru curiously.

"Oh there are signs… Now, I think it is time for the two of you to receive the talk" said Shikaku calmly as he tried not to think of what his innocent son might have done.

"Wait, can this wait? I just want to eat my food and report to the Hokage about what I discovered" said Shikamaru.

Both Yoshino and Shikaku choked once more.

"Wait, the Hokage? Why would you need to talk to him? We are your parents; you should be talking about these things to us" said Yoshino sternly.

"But you guys will be in danger if you know, and I can't let this knowledge out just in case someone decides to use a Yamanaka to search your mind" said Shikamaru quickly.

"I hardly believe that you having sex with Naruto is dangerous knowledge Shikamaru" said an amused Yoshino before Shikaku could stop her.

"Wait what?" said as Shikamaru looked at her incredulously, "What does my gender have to do with this?"

Yoshino froze as she slowly turned to face her husband who had already face palmed and was shaking his head.

"What is sex?" asked Naruto innocently.

"Yeah… You are handling this one. I figured that we had the wrong assumption once he said danger" said Shikaku, "Troublesome…"

"Umm… I will tell you once you tell me why you are going to the Hokage" said Yoshino quickly in hopes of delaying the inevitable.

"I snuck out and did some stuff at night, which is all I can say to you" said Shikamaru as he stood up from his spot on his table, "The council is going down today"

Shikamaru then dashed out of the house towards the Hokage office without another word.

"So what is sex?" asked Naruto as she looked at Yoshino curiously.

Yoshino sighed before she gave her husband one last pleading look in hopes he would help her out.

"Nope… This is where I draw the line. I am going to visit Choza and Inoichi, see you later sweetheart" said Shikaku as he too left, leaving Yoshino to her fate.

"Let's call Hinata and Ayako over… I might as well tell this to all of you and get it over with" said Yoshino tiredly as she gave in to her fate.

Shikamaru dashed into the Hokage tower, giving the receptionist a quick wave before he knocked on the Hokage door rapidly, impatiently waiting for a response.

Hiruzen expected many things from his visitors but a tired and exhausted 9 year old boy was not one of them. His clothes were ragged and had dirt patches on some areas, his eyes were baggy and cautious as he scanned the area as if everyone was out to get him. This paranoia was only evident from ninja who had returned from extremely dangerous missions.

"Hokage-sama, can you seal the room and make it private?" asked Shikamaru tiredly.

"Of course my boy" he said before he quickly activated the seal, "Now tell me what is wrong"

Shikamaru looked as if he was about to say something before he pulsed his chakra through the room and walked over to the books on the shelf. He pulled out two inconspicuous volumes and opened them to reveal two listening seals. He then went over to the paperwork and took out two seemingly blank pieces of paper. He channelled chakra into them to also reveal two more listening seals.

"I found a few mice you would like to look at" said Shikamaru in a level tone.

The Hokage widened his eyes before he quickly destroyed all of the seals.

"How?" asked the Hokage.

"A technique used by seal makers to locate any spies on their work. It is only good for non-hostile situations though since the pulse will likely alert any shinobi to your position" said Shikamaru tiredly.

"What is all this about Shikamaru?" asked the Hokage seriously.

"The council… they are bribing the elders of the clans. They have their own private army and a vault in which I pilfered last night. They are commanded by council member Danzo and he is preparing to massacre the Uchiha Clan in order to gain their Sharingan. I could not get the documentation but I can show you all of their entrances and exits to their underground base. I also have a few books that document previous corrupt dealings of the civilian council" said Shikamaru quickly.

"How do you know all this" asked Hiruzen.

"I can spy with my shadows" replied Shikamaru, "I managed to connect with my shadow in a whole new way to my clan and I have other abilities that are not normal"

"I see… You said you emptied their vault… I assume this is to weaken their influence?" asked the Hokage.

"Yes, I also pinned it on the people who bribed the council. Here are the books that I used to find out this information. Also I have proof of my actions" Shikamaru said as he unsealed 10 large scrolls from his shirt, "These are all of the things in the vault. There were artefacts, gold, trillions of ryo and much more"

"How on earth did you manage to pull this off?" asked the Hokage incredulously, "You have essentially done the equivalent of an S-rank mission at only 9 years old"

"Clan secrets sir" said Shikamaru cheekily, "Well they are more my secrets but I am part of a clan so… clan secrets"

"Well… If my spies in Root confirm what you have said, then you have done what took me years to do and more. You revealed key information that I would have never have gotten and you revealed the leak in my room. If you wanted to I would promote you to ANBU right now" said the Hokage happily.

"Nah, too much of a drag" said Shikamaru in return as he allowed his tough front to relax, "Also Danzo has been dealing with Orochimaru. They were talking about a plan to get rid of you"

"I see… Rest for now Shikamaru, I will wake you up when I get my confirmation" said the Hokage gently as Shikamaru collapsed on the floor and dozed off. With a click of his fingers, Hiruzen immediately summoned an ANBU to catch the sleepy child.

"Itachi, put him on the couch" said the Hokage softly as he activated a communication seal that was on his pipe, "Kakashi and Kinoe report into my office."

While he waited he decided to talk to Itachi, "If all this is true then your father might actually be innocent and it is the clan elders that is the problem"

"I hope it is my lord. I won't be able to thank Shikamaru enough once this is over" said Itachi.

"He truly is a good young man" said Hiruzen as both Kakashi and Kinoe opened the door and walked into the office.

"Hokage-sama, Danzo is currently having all operatives track and monitor all who have connection to his vault. It seems as though it was emptied and the only thing left was a seal on a 1000 ryo note. He seems to distrust us both as he wouldn't say any more to us" said Kakashi.

"Yes, I figured that he knows that the both of you are spies. Both of you are not to return to Danzo's service. He is too dangerous now that he knows the both of you are spies for me" said Hiruzen seriously.

"But how Hokage-sama?" asked Kinoe as he tried to figure out where the two of them might have been caught.

"He had listening seals in my office. Only after Shikamaru had discovered them did I find out. That boy really is marvellous" said Hiruzen.

"I see… Is there anything else?" asked Kakashi.

"Yes, help me unseal these scrolls. I want to check their contents" said Hiruzen.

Upon the unsealing of a scroll, billions of ryo filled the room.

"This much from one scroll?" asked Itachi incredulously.

"I guess he wasn't lying when he said he cleaned out the vault" said the Hokage in amusement.

"Wait… A nine year old boy broke into a base filled with highly trained ninja and made out alive and with trillions of ryo?" asked Kinoe as he looked at the money in shock.

"Apparently so…" replied Kakashi, also looking on in disbelief.

After unsealing and resealing the scrolls in order to have room to move, they discovered a few important incriminating documents that were placed with the forbidden jutsu scrolls that Shikamaru had sealed.

"What are we going to do with all this money?" asked Itachi.

"Well, this is all off record so we can't do anything to it… I guess it goes to the finder" said Hiruzen, "God I am too old for this"

"What do we do about the council after this?" asked Kakashi.

"Nothing for now" said Hiruzen, "They have no power and will probably be running around like headless chickens, trying to find the culprit. Eventually they will make a mistake and I will be there to take care of them"

"Can't we just execute them?" asked Kinoe.

"Unfortunately we can't as our proof will reveal our hand. On top of that, it isn't solid proof of their actions. I am betting most of their proof is with Danzo. It doesn't matter anyway, without any money, they can't sustain their army. On top of that, the councillors were placing all of their money in Danzo's vault to avoid tax. They are broke and in poverty. Once they crumble completely we can strike and demolish them" said Hiruzen confidently, "Things are finally looking up"

"S-rank and only 9 years old… I still can't believe it" said Kinoe, "And he isn't even a ninja yet"

"Indeed" laughed Hiruzen.

"I should go break the genjutsu on my father. The clan elders will be executed once that happens and the Uchiha problem will be solved. I will report to you once it is done" said Itachi as he ran out of the office.

"I guess I will destroy the forbidden jutsu scrolls. While the money is fine, even though I have no idea what a kid will do with it, forbidden jutsu is another thing" said Hiruzen as the storage scroll containing the forbidden jutsu was destroyed.

"I guess we will be going, contact us when you need us" said Kakashi as both he and Kinoe left.

Hiruzen looked over at the sleeping Shikamaru once more and smiled at the sight.

' _Honestly, I see what Naruto means by hero complex'_

* * *

By the time Shikamaru had woken up, it was already around three in the afternoon. The Hokage had given him the mass amount of wealth and sent him on his way. He lazily trudged back to his house to find Shikaku and Yoshino waiting patiently for his return.

"Where is Naruto?" asked Shikamaru, "I don't want to explain this more than once"

"Don't worry, she is just busy talking with Hinata, she will be back in a minute" said a smirking Yoshino.

At this the red-faced Naruto and Hinata entered the room and seemed to look everywhere but at Shikamaru.

"What is wrong with you two?" asked Shikamaru in concern, "Did you guys catch a cold?"

"N-No" stuttered Naruto, "J-Just have some t-things to think about"

"G-Girl things" added Hinata.

"Okay then…" said Shikamaru as he observed the two for anything suspicious before he shrugged it off as too troublesome, "Well… What do you want to know?"

"Well, please explain to me why I caught you sleeping in the Hokage's office when I went to check on you" said Shikaku calmly, "The Hokage also stated that I should be very proud… So I am guessing that you saved someone once again"

"Yes and no" responded Shikamaru, "I basically revealed the corruption of the council and all of its dealings. It turns out that they were manipulating all of the clan elders and were weakening the clans to bolster their power over the village. I also exposed Danzo's dealings and actions"

"And how did you do that?" asked Shikaku with no little surprise.

"This" Shikamaru said before he unsealed one of his scrolls to reveal billions of ryo, "I essentially robbed the council of its power… literally…"

"You did all this…" said Yoshino in disbelief, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"If I did then dad's mind might get searched by one of the ROOT ninja and I would have been found out. Now that the council will be too busy with trying to find the culprit and as well as trying to scrounge up resources to keep their army fed, there is no opportunity for them to look into your mind. On top of that, the Hokage is now aware of their dealings so he can place measures to prevent the ROOT from taking hold of any on the Ninja council" said Shikamaru, "That is the only reason why I can tell you this now"

"Wait… how exactly did you steal from a highly secured vault?" asked Shikaku, "While our Clan Jutsu might have helped, it wouldn't get past the chakra detectors that they have in place"

"I didn't use Jutsu at all" replied Shikamaru, "While unlocking my Chakra, I unlocked many abilities… One of which is to spy through my Shadows, another of which is Alchemy"

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Yoshino calmly.

"I was honestly saving it as a surprise for Naruto on her birthday, but since the circumstances had changed, I had to reveal my abilities a little earlier than intended" said Shikamaru before he bowed his head in apology, "I am sorry for not telling you everything"

"It is okay Shika-kun; you were just trying to keep us all safe" said Naruto happily.

"Why did you decide to do all this anyway? I thought the council didn't have much to do with you" asked Hinata curiously.

"They were planning the Uchiha massacre. Then they were going to use that even to catalyse a civil war. Once all of the clans were weakened, they would take all of the children and train them as loyal soldiers to the council, finally overthrowing the Hokage. I knew that the Hokage was old and wouldn't be around forever, so I decided to take matters into my own hands" said Shikamaru truthfully, "Without the Hokage, Naruto would have had a much harder life or would have been used as an asset of war due to her connection with... something... Since the clan elders are being bribed, they were probably the reason why Hinata was treated so badly as well. Overall, I did what had to be done"

The conversations fell silent for a moment before Naruto and Hinata went up to Shikamaru and gave him a big slap on the face.

"That was for not telling us" said the two in tandem before they gave him a big hug in return, "This is for saving us all"

"Troublesome…" said Shikamaru happily, nursing his swollen cheeks.

"What is Alchemy then?" asked Yoshino curiously.

"Well… Naruto's birthday is in around three days so… Wait until then" Shikamaru said cheekily.

"That is good and all, but back on topic" chuckled Shikaku, "Where did you even get all of this information?"

"From the redacted books in the academy library" replied Shikamaru, "I used Alchemy to sever the bindings with the seals on them and switched them with replacements. I also used alchemy to clear the ink that blotted out the page. Since they often used ink in printing then and used common paint when they redacted the books, I was able to remove the paint without touching the ink. Paint was cheaper then finely refined ink and of a different chemical makeup I guess"

"So this alchemy allows you to manipulate stuff?" asked Shikaku.

"Something like that… I was just lucky to unlock it" said Shikamaru.

"I guess that you did something different to your predecessors…" said Shikaku curiously.

"I went out of my way to help someone" said Shikamaru as he nodded his head at Naruto, "I gave up my comfort and laziness for an innocent stranger… That is why I have my power"

"I see… I am proud of you son" said Shikaku happily, "You have done this clan and us as your parents, proud beyond belief"

"I am still not gonna try in school" said Shikamaru blankly.

"We don't expect you to" replied Shikaku before Yoshino could say anything, "He has done quite a lot, let him go at his own pace"

"Fine…" said Yoshino, "Good job young man"

"So… what are you going to do with all this money" asked Naruto.

"I literally don't know… I don't want to buy anything from any of the stores so… Store it?" said Shikamaru dismissively, "I really don't need any of the money"

"What about investing it?" asked Hinata who was a little familiar with clan affairs.

"I don't want to invest in prejudice businesses" replied Shikamaru, "Maybe I will invest in other countries instead but until then, I am storing it"

"The troubles of a rich person" laughed Shikaku.

"Can it dad"

* * *

Over the next day the village saw many changes. The Uchiha were no longer prejudiced against and were trusted members of society again after the traitorous clan elders were revealed to be behind the rumours of the Uchiha. All of the Clans subsequently removed their clan elders from power due to the reveal while the Hokage had secretly met with the clan heads to reveal the betrayal. Hiashi had been extremely furious and was for once in complete agreement with Fugaku, the clan head of the Uchiha, on killing his clan elders outright. He was a righteous father on a warpath and his clan elders didn't live to see sunset.

Danzo was grasping strings in order to try and keep his power but without money, he could not run the affairs of his dealings. The fake bandit raids and wars that he had funded all came to a standstill. His dealings with Hanzo the salamander had collapsed as he had to withdraw his ninjas in order to find out which of the people who bribed him had taken the money. He wasn't even able to have time to frame the Akatsuki and cause the two to start fighting.

His council members are now blaming him for the disappearance of their money and his once loyal ROOT were starting to rebel due to lack of food. While he had conditioned them into loyalty, only so much could be done without the drugs that he pumped into their system. Already, many of his ROOT had defected and joined the Hokage's faction. Each one had burned off the seal on their tongues in order to prevent Danzo from stopping them. However, while they didn't have any proof of his dealings he was safe. Orochimaru had also stopped his dealings due to Danzo not being able to pay for the experiments. Orochimaru needed the money to fund his new hidden village, and without the capital, he was forced to stop his experiments.

He had also lost all of his clan ninja in ROOT. They were all recalled to their clans and had their seals burned off. The only saving grace was that Danzo had been smart enough to keep his records of his transaction in his office rather than in the Vault. Who knows what the culprit would have done with the records as well.

Currently his only option was to disband and hide while leaving incriminating evidence that pointed towards the council and the Hokage's advisors. By throwing them under the bus, he would be able to get out of this event Scott-free.

' _After all, they were just as guilty as me. They just weren't smart enough to escape'_ thought Danzo.

"Come now my loyal subjects, we will all go into hiding for now. Leave the council and the elders to die for all I care. We will come back from this stronger than ever" said Danzo calmly to the darkness of the seemingly empty room as he went to destroy all of his records. Before he could take another step the feeling of cold steel entered into the back of his skull and he dropped to the floor, lifeless.

"You aren't getting away this time," said Itachi coldly, "Not after what you tried to do to my family..."

He quickly gathered the records and left to the Hokage Tower to report his success, leaving the body to rot on the stone cold floor.

* * *

The civilian council was on verge of a breakdown. All of their money was gone and they had barely enough to survive. Danzo was missing and their army had all but disbanded.

"We must find out some way to get our assets back" said one councillor Haruno.

"Listen lady, stop stating the obvious! The problem is more serious than that. What do we do when the Hokage comes knocking on our door? Some of use kept our records in the vault you know. If the person who robbed us worked for the Hokage or decided to screw us over, then we could all be arrested" said Koharu, one of the two advisors to the Hokage.

As if fate decided to screw with them, the large wooden doors to the civilian council room burst open with a loud crack. A hundred of their previously loyal army filed in with the Hokage at the centre.

"Now, I think we are in for a long chat aren't we my former colleagues" said the Hokage with a wide smirk on his face, "To think my own teammates would do as much behind my back… Truly shameful"

"Just get it over with Hiruzen" said Homura tiredly, "I am guessing that Danzo has been dealt with"

"Of course my ex-teammate… in fact… I have records of all your dealings right here in my hands" he said as he displayed an old book binding for the entire council to see, "I think exposing your deeds to the world will be a fitting punishment don't you think? Death would just be too easy"

"You can't do that!" screeched Sasami Haruno, "We have rights as the council of Konoha"

"A criminal has no rights Haruno-san" said Hiruzen calmly, "You all became criminals as soon as I got my hands on this book"

"What happens now?" asked Homura in resignation.

"You are all stripped of your titles and whatever land you might own. Your deeds will be broadcasted throughout the village so your loved ones can see what you have done. Any money and possessions will be confiscated until it has been deemed that they were not from any source of bribery. All your laws will be voided until I deem them safe and satisfactory. Finally, you will all be put into work in the mines for no pay until you repay any outstanding debts" said Hiruzen calmly before he left the room, ignoring the screams and shouts of protest from unhappy council members.

Justice has been served.

* * *

It was finally Naruto's birthday and all of the invitations had been sent. Shikamaru had already gathered all the materials required for her present back during his trip to the Vault. Even if he didn't want to transmute anything tonight, he could simply just give Naruto one of the pieces of jewellery that he had collected from the vault if he wanted to. However he resolved not to do that as he knew Naruto wanted nothing to do with the council.

Shikamaru had also made sure to design seals that were to be engraved into his transmutation in order for other benefits to come with his present. He had designed a danger sensing seal as well as an ownership seal that prevented anyone from taking the present from her.

Right now, Shikamaru was simply helping Yoshino and Hinata finish up the decorations. This time the theme was orange, Naruto's favourite colour. The guests would be arriving soon and there were more people arriving this time.

The doorbell rang and Yoshino rushed out to greet them. Hiashi, Hiruzen, Iruka, the Akimichi family, the Ichiraku's, the Yamanaka family and Naruto's two other friends were no surprise. However the appearance of Itachi, Izumi, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha were a surprise.

"Hello Yoshino, long time no see… I was busy with clan stuff until very recently" said Mikoto politely.

"By all means, do come in. We have much to talk about" responded Yoshino.

"Ino didn't want to come again, sorry" said the Yamanaka couple apologetically as they entered.

"It is okay, I am sure we will be fine without her" said Yoshino.

"Sasuke said he didn't want waste time at a party and he would rather be training so he won't be attending, honestly I wish I could have tortured those damn elders more for what they did…" apologised Fugaku.

"For what it is worth, you didn't do it out of your own will. No one can blame you for that" said Yoshino.

"Unlike some of us…" winced Asami as she gave Choza another kiss.

"And who is this young lady?" asked Yoshino curiously, "I am sure that Mikoto doesn't have a daughter"

"Hello, I am Izumi, Itachi's girlfriend. Nice to meet you" she replied.

"Ahh, I see that my son isn't the only heart breaker in town" laughed Yoshino as she ushered the blushing couple in.

"I hope that you have been well Yoshino, things have been busy as of late" said Hiashi as he entered, "The exposure of the clan elders have left a political vacuum within the clan"

"I see, at least everything is better no?" said Yoshino with a wide smile, "No need to worry about them stabbing our backs"

"Indeed" said Hiashi in return.

"Well, let's not keep Naruto waiting" said Hiruzen as he entered the house quickly.

Everyone was busy chatting away at the party. Naruto and her friends were all playing ninja in the backyard while the adults were talking about the recent exposure of the clan elders. Hiruzen revealed that it was actually Shikamaru who had done all this, much to their disbelief. Although both the Nara and Itachi were not surprised due to the fact that Shikamaru had told them and Itachi already knowing.

"Wait… so you are telling me that Shika-chan did all this?" said Miyako incredulously, "How on earth did he accomplish all this?"

"Shikamaru calls it Alchemy, it doesn't utilise chakra so it wasn't detected. He says that there are some drawbacks and that he will demonstrate it tonight" replied Shikaku.

"It must be very powerful if it can allow him to accomplish all that" said Choza.

"Indeed" said the Hokage, "What I want to know is what Shikamaru is going to do with all the money he got from the vault"

"Well, nothing for now… He is considering making trade deals later but he isn't too fond of the shops in Konoha" replied Yoshino, "He still lives by his saying that he won't buy anything from shops that refuse Naruto service. The only thing he has done so far with the money was shout Naruto and Hinata to an all you can eat at Ichiraku's"

"Haha, I remember that. I swear that boy is practically my biggest patron. Naruto still holds the title of No. 1 customer though since she is the one that eats the ramen" said Teuchi proudly.

"Funny how Ino chases after Sasuke because he is handsome and rich when she gave up her shot at the wealthiest kid in Konoha" laughed Inoichi, "I still hope she stops being so shallow one of these days"

"I am sure she will come around" said Yoshino comfortingly, "But I am pretty sure Shikamaru has his hands full with Naruto and Hinata"

"If Naruto is anything like Kushina when she was little, she is definitely going to delay the inevitable until Hinata asks him out" said Mikoto fondly, "Kushina fell for Minato after he saved her as well and waited two years before she even tried to ask him out. Even then, she only asked when that civilian girl confessed to him."

"And if Hinata is like her mother, she won't confess until much later" laughed Hiashi, "I guess this one is up to Shikamaru"

"If Shikamaru was still lazy, I would say that he would just say the entire situation was too troublesome but now I don't know" said Yoshino.

"We can only wait and see" said Itachi as he held Izumi tighter, "I myself waited a while before I returned Izumi's affections. I didn't want her to get dragged into the clan troubles"

"Aww, you know I would just jump right in anyway" teased Izumi as she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I am still so sorry for failing to notice the elder's treachery" said Fugaku sorrowfully.

"It wasn't your fault dear, what is done is done" said Mikoto as she also gave him a peck to cheer him up.

"Anyone else notices that Izumi is a lot like Mikoto?" asked a bewildered Choza as everyone else nodded in unison.

"Speaking of which, do you think that Shikamaru will be the one to finally break the Nara curse?" asked Inoichi.

"Not a chance, both Hinata and Naruto are growing into strong women" said Shikaku as he gave his wife a kiss, "We can't help it, strong women are our weakness"

"Yeah… Shikamaru hasn't got any hope in that regard" said a laughing Asami.

Meanwhile Naruto, Shikamaru, Ayame, Hinata, Choji, and Ayako were enjoying themselves in the Nara backyard by playing ninja.

"Tag, you're it" said Ayame to Ayako as she took off running.

"Got ya Choji!" laughed Ayako as she swung around the tree and just barely managed to touch Choji's elbow before she too ran off.

Choji looked around and saw a lazily walking Shikamaru who looked like an easy target. He ran right up to Shikamaru before he tagged him and got out of there as quick as possible.

' _That was too easy'_ thought Choji in concern. Either Shikamaru wasn't trying or he had a plan cooked up.

Shikamaru smirked as suddenly his shadow expanded into the entire area trapping everyone in the game. Ayame was tagged behind a tree, Naruto was tagged in the middle of her run, Choji and Ayako were both tagged at the same places that they were just mere seconds ago as they didn't have much time to move and Hinata was tagged hiding on the floor.

"Tag, you are all it" smirked Shikamaru.

"No fair!" whined Hinata, "You have the perfect jutsu for this game"

"Yeah!" said Ayame.

"You guys were the ones who said everything was allowed. Hinata was using her Byakugan to avoid all of us so I assumed that clan jutsu were allowed" laughed Shikamaru.

Everyone gave the embarrassed girl a playful glare.

"So, what do you do now?" asked Naruto, "Since you are the only one not it, once you release the jutsu, we are all going after you"

"What if I just didn't release the jutsu then?" asked Shikamaru cheekily.

"Well…" said Naruto as she tried to think of something before she gave Shikamaru a cute pout, "It's my birthday so you have to do what you are told"

"Oh no, you win Naru-hime" said Shikamaru as he raised his hands in defeat before releasing his jutsu, allowing everyone to move again, "That still doesn't mean you can catch me!"

With that said Shikamaru sank into his shadow and disappeared, not before giving Naruto an all knowing smirk.

Everyone split up to try and find Shikamaru but none could even see him. Hinata tried to use her Byakugan but she also didn't find any sign of him.

"Hey Naruto, tell him to come out! He hinted that he would follow your orders for today so you can order him to do anything" said Ayame.

Both Naruto and Hinata blushed at the thought of getting Shikamaru to do everything that they wanted. Yoshino's talk still hasn't left their minds.

"R-Right" said Naruto, a little too loudly, "Shikamaru, come out! No more hiding"

Just like Ayame said, Shikamaru appeared, but he appeared a while away from the group for safety.

"So… Just because I am not hiding doesn't mean you can catch me" smirked Shikamaru once more, making both Naruto and Hinata blush.

Shikamaru the dashed up the trees and hung on a sturdy branch upside down.

"I already learned tree walking so good luck trying to catch me" laughed Shikamaru.

"Just how many tricks can one person have" asked Ayame, "I can't believe I am losing to a boy 5 years younger than me"

"If you think Shikamaru is straight forward, you have another thing coming. He has traps within his traps and plans so elaborate that they take into account stuff 200 moves ahead. He probably has ideas on how to get out of every situation already. Shikamaru is an expert at is being on the defensive" said Choji exasperatedly.

"Well? If you are done with the compliments, wanna try to come at me again? If you work together you might have a chance" laughed Shikamaru.

The group looked at each other before they nodded. Thus the Ninja Revenge Force was formed.

The group tried flanking him, surrounding him, ambushing him, but no matter what, they still could not touch Shikamaru. During this the adults had stopped their chat to see the rare sight of children working together to achieve their goals.

"If I didn't know better, I would say that Shikamaru was conducting a Genin exam" laugh Hiruzen.

"Yes, their teamwork is good as well" added Inoichi, "Almost reminds me of our Genin days right Shikaku, Choza?"

"Yeah, sure does" replied Shikaku.

"Maybe we should give the kids a hand. It doesn't look like Shikamaru is going down anytime soon" said Izumi.

"Izumi, that is not how an Uchiha should behave…" admonished Mikoto before a smirk fell onto her face, "I like it"

Both of the women rushed off into the game with a loud battle cry as both Itachi and Fugaku sighed and joined their partners.

"I guess I haven't had time to test my teamwork in a while" said Yoshino as she turned towards Miyako and Asami, "What do you say girls?"

"Hell yes!" they both replied before the dashed into the field.

"Well… I guess we can't let our wives show us up" said Shikaku as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio also dashed into the mix.

Iruka, Teuchi, Hiashi and Hiruzen looked at each other in amusement before shrugging and joining in as well.

After the impromptu teamwork session everyone were looking sheepishly at the ruined backyard. Eventually the game got so intense that non-lethal jutsu were spammed throughout the game. Everyone was constantly aware of shadows and were always keeping aware of any Yamanaka anywhere. The kids managed to hold their teamwork well but they were outclassed by the experienced ninja. They eventually broke off the alliance and joined different teams. The Uchiha women took Ayako into their ranks while Choji joined the male Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Iruka, Ayame and Teuchi joined with the Hokage who also picked up Naruto along the way. Hiashi joined up with Fugaku and Itachi, bringing along Hinata and Shikamaru somehow ended up on his mother's team. Eventually the entire game messed up the backyard along the way.

"Sorry about your backyard Yoshino, I think we went a little overboard" said Mikoto.

"It is okay, that was the most fun I have had in ages" laughed Yoshino.

"BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!" shouted Naruto in happiness.

"I guess it is time for the food then, we can worry about the clean up later" said Yoshino as she quickly got the cake out onto the table, along with a bunch of other dishes, "Dig in everyone!"

After the meal everyone quickly presented their presents to the young Uzumaki.

"Here I have a comb; it was used by your mother. Unfortunately we can't tell you who she is yet for your own safety but I am sure she would want you to have it" said Mikoto softly as she watched Naruto eagerly place the comb into her pocket.

"I am sorry that we couldn't be there for you sooner" said Fugaku.

"It is okay, the bad people are gone now thanks to Shika-kun" said Naruto with a smile.

"Yes indeed" laughed Hiruzen who had given Naruto a kimono.

"Well, we have a nice hair tie for you Naruto. It is similar to Shikamaru's. If you are in any danger, both Yoshino and I will know" said Shikaku.

"Thank you and its orange too!" said Naruto with glee as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"Well Hinata and I have decided to give you some battle fans that you wanted previously. Hinata noticed you looking at it during your visit for Shikamaru's present so we got it for you" said Hiashi kindly.

"I love them!" announced Naruto as she gave both Hinata and Hiashi a big hug.

"Well, I guess it is my turn then" said Itachi, "This present is from both Izumi and I. They are some specialised paint bombs for your pranks. Just promise not to use them on us"

"Promise!" said Naruto happily as she eagerly placed the paint bombs away.

"I know you are a prankster at heart like me, so I guess I will also give you the tools of the trade" said Iruka as he handed her some prank notes, all gathered collectively in a neat book, "Give those teachers at the academy hell"

"You got it Iruka-sensei"

"I guess it is time for Shikamaru to show us his present" said Teuchi who had already given Naruto a free pass for Ichiraku meals for a week.

"Yeah!" said Choji and Ayako in tandem who had given Naruto a new fuinjutsu set.

"I guess it is my turn after all" laughed Shikamaru as he got out a piece of chalk and swiftly drew an array onto the floor. He then placed a chunk of gold and some sapphires into the middle of the circle before he clapped his hands and touched the circle.

 _'I guess that small gold vein has its uses'_ thought Shikamaru.

The gold and sapphires shifted until they became a gold bracelet with the Uzumaki swirl engraved on top. The sapphires shone a bright blue and were shaped into leaves that adorned the bracelet. On the inside of it, there were seals all over the surface.

"All I need is a drop of blood from you and the sealing array will be complete" said Shikamaru as he smirked at the shocked looks from everyone around him.

"How did you do that?" asked Choji in awe.

"Alchemy of course" said Shikamaru proudly, "The only limitation is that I take on all the fatigue it takes to create the item at once. That is why I was so tired the day after the heist. I essentially felt myself creating the tunnel"

"Awesome dattebayo! What do the seal do?" asked Naruto excitedly as she looked at the beautiful bracelet.

"It makes sure that the only person that will wear it is you. It is an ownership seal. The bracelet will also turn black if someone with ill intent comes near you so you don't have to worry about betrayal" said Shikamaru proudly, "It is originally called the evil sensing array but it is normally too complicated to draw on anything small. Since alchemy allows me to manipulate atoms, I was able to arrange the seal with no problems"

Naruto quickly grabbed Shikamaru into a big embrace before she gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Thank you Shikamaru" she said as Shikamaru turned bright red. Hinata mouthed to Naruto, "Only for today… I expect the same from you on my birthday" to which Naruto replied "Of course".

The rest of the adults chuckled at the scene before Naruto quickly made a small cut to her finger and activated the seal. The seal shone bright for a moment before it glowed a dull blue. Naruto checked her finger and found that the cut was gone and she thanked her Uzumaki bloodline.

"It is beautiful" cooed Naruto as she danced around the room showing everyone the bracelet leaving Shikamaru at the mercy of the teasing mothers.

"Daddy… I want it to be my birthday now" said Hinata.

"You will get your chance princess" laughed Hiashi, "I am glad you chose a respectable young man instead of pursuing the Uchiha like that Ino girl and other fangirls"

"Of course daddy, Shikamaru is special" replied Hinata happily.

"Still, I am a little sad that I don't get to threaten any boys… Oh well, maybe once you finally make things official" laughed Hiashi.

"DADDY!"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

The Prologue arc is almost done, I think another two chapters should wrap up the pre gennin years pretty nicely. I am sorta surprised that I wrote enough for a weekly updated story haha! Unfortunately we both know this cannot last. I think that University is starting soon so you can expect lesser updates in the coming weeks. I have written a few chapters in advanced but I don't want to spoil any of it and I will keep them in reserve haha. Follow my updates at my Pat reon dot com /StatusInc and have a great week!


	5. Chapter 5

**A Shadow's Touch**

 **Chapter 5: Another Hyuga Affair (Part 1)**

Ino Yamanaka was not a happy girl. She and her now former best friend Sakura had just broken up their friendship. Not only had Sakura had the audacity to say that Sasuke was hers, she had also threw away her friendship hair band. Not long after that her friends had all said they wanted Sasuke as well so they had all left on their separate ways. While she was still the most popular girl in the academy, the funny and charismatic Naruto was swiftly catching up.

' _Urgh, those guys were teasing her and saying how she was an idiot a year ago, what the hell made them change their minds. Not only that, she hangs around with Shikamaru the dead last all of the time. I worked my way up to the top of the food chain and she just gets lucky enough to get there. Not only that but that Hyuga she hangs with is also getting quite popular too. Why the hell are they even popular? They hang around with the class dobe, they get average grades and they don't even look pretty with that oversized jacket and the hideous orange jumpsuit'_ thought Ino venomously, _'Not only that but I don't like how those two cling onto Shikamaru. We may not have spoken in a while but he is MY friend. If he would just pick up on his grades and stop being so lazy then I could be associated with him without ruining my public image. I can't even hang with Choji because he is always with Shikamaru'_

Ino cut herself from her thoughts as she tried to pay attention to Koyama-sensei's lecture. It wouldn't do for the popular girl to have her grades drop. Sasuke won't be interested in her unless she was the top of the food chain because that was who Sasuke was. After all, a wealthy handsome prince will always want his smart beautiful princess right?

' _There is no way that Sasuke-kun will want anything to do with forehead girl. Not only is she broke due to the recent council scandal, but she is not cute at all. I have got this in the bag; I get a rich prince and live happily ever after. Beware Sakura, you haven't got a chance against me'_ thought Ino victoriously as she pushed away her slight feeling of loneliness from the loss of her friends.

* * *

Sakura has had a somewhat confusing month since the events of the council. Her mother was convicted and tried for treason due to the dealings of the council and she is currently living in a tiny room of her father's second house. Her father was lucky enough to be a successful businessman so he was able to sell off the first home in order to pay for any debts that his 'wife' had incurred. Her father was very angry at his wife and they were arguing all the time now. Her mother had stated that she had done nothing wrong but her father said that her financial records showed differently. Their marriage was on the rocks and her mother was almost kicked out onto the streets.

Her mother had to beg her father to let her stay, and he only allowed due to not wanting to see the woman he once loved on the street. She also found out that her father had planned to annul his marriage within the week despite her mother's protests. He had talked to her mother's former best friend who just so happened to be his co-worker about the situation and she was very supportive of her father. After a week the woman would come over regularly for dinner and flirt with her father, much to her mother's dismay.

Her mother had gone from bad to worse, she was practically crazy. She would regularly attempt to sleep with her father only to be denied and she would regularly fight with her former best friend who had all but moved in with them. Sakura would be regularly caught in the middle of these fights as well, forcing her to pick a side. Obviously she didn't side with the criminal and she completely disowned her mother.

Her mother's best friend treated her as her own daughter and more often than not, she would buy her presents and cook her dishes. She became more of a mother figure to Sakura than her original mother ever was. This allowed her to become more confident in herself and allowed her to stand up for herself. This eventually led to an argument over Sasuke with Ino from which she threw away her friendship with.

' _I can't believe I once called that crazy woman my mother. Not only does her voice sound harsh and coarse, but she is has a creepy split personality. Half the time she treats me as if I am her daughter and the other time she is screaming her head off at me. So much has changed in so little time.'_ Thought Sakura as she allowed her gaze to drift towards Sasuke, _'All that doesn't matter now, all I need to do is marry Sasuke-kun and I will be able have money, power and prestige, just like Cinderella did in her story. Ino doesn't stand a chance with the rumours that I had spread about her. Ino already has a clan so she doesn't need a prince anyway. On top of that she is weak. She wouldn't even help me spread juicy rumours about the dead last. Getting all prissy just because he was her former friend, she doesn't deserve to be popular. Spreading false rumours are just meaningless fun. After all, gossip is one of the best weapons of a woman'_

She glared at Ino once more before she turned her attention to her dreamy prince, hoping that he would notice her.

* * *

Naruto was having the time of her life, after an amazing birthday, she had shared her first kiss with Shikamaru. Also, her friendship with Hinata was stronger than ever. Ever since the party she was worried about what Hinata would say to her after she got caught up in the moment but instead Hinata had asked what the kiss felt like and the girls descended into giggles and dreamy scenarios that seem to play out during their fantasies. Both the girls were excited at the thought of Hinata's birthday which was coming within a few weeks.

Naruto would also regularly play what was now known as 'training ninja'. Shikamaru designed it to help out on basic shinobi skills based around the traditional ninja game. Shikamaru got this idea after the massive game of ninja tag that went out of hand and they would regularly play the game both as a training tool and because it was so fun. Sometimes the adults would join in as well in order to sharpen their skills as well as relax from their troubles.

Her fuinjutsu skills had improved drastically with help from Shikamaru in order for her to make a present for Hinata. She was currently on the 5th level of fuinjutsu compared to Shikamaru's 7th but she was catching up fast. It seemed as if the Uzumaki blood within her had awoken and her fuinjutsu increased by leaps and bounds because of it.

' _I can't wait for Hinata to experience her first kiss, it feels amazing. I wonder if she will feel the warm fuzzy feeling that I felt as well. I hope she will like my present, a preservation fuinjutsu might take a while but I am sure that Hinata will appreciate the ability to store her flowers fresh. I can't wait to see the look on her face'_ thought Naruto cheerfully, _'I wonder what prank I can pull today, Koyama-sensei was pretty mean to Shikamaru so I think he deserves a little brightening up today'_

Hinata was eagerly waiting for December 27th to come. She was going to have an amazing night and she was going to have Shikamaru all to herself. Maybe she might get that famous first kiss that she saw Naruto experience. No one could get Naruto to sit still for an entire hour without her getting giddy and fidgety after she kissed Shikamaru. On top of all that Naruto had said that both she and Shikamaru had decided to reveal to her their secret hideout in the Nara forest on her birthday in order to make it even more special.

' _Naruto had been telling me about this spot forever now; I can't wait to finally see it for myself. Oh, so many things are going to happen on my birthday! A moonlight kiss, an outing in a glade, an amazing party and no clan elders! This is going to be the best party ever!'_ thought Hinata excitedly, _'Hopefully my Byakugan will have matured to see through walls then I can finally win one of the Training Ninja Games. Not only that but I will be able to see through Shikamaru's clot- NO! Bad Hinata! No perving! Although it would be nice to just see what Yoshino-sama was talking abo- NO!'_

Hinata was now blushing like a tomato as she tried her best not to look at Shikamaru and focus on the lesson. Yeah, she couldn't wait for her birthday.

Shikamaru was just sleeping and talking to Yami throughout the lesson. He already knew what Koyama was talking about and on top of that, Koyama wasn't even explaining anything properly, often skipping details and glaring at both him and Naruto whenever he could. He just fell into his mindscape in order to pass the time.

"Hey Yami! Fancy a spar or something?" asked Shikamaru.

"Hmph" she replied as she turned away from Shikamaru, "Why don't you go ahead and talk with Naruto instead? You have finished all of the Alchemy and Alkahestry books already. What else can you do here?"

"Come on; are you still mad about Naruto kissing me? She was just excited about the present and it being the first good birthday that she has ever had" said Shikamaru.

"If only that was the case" grumbled Yami quietly.

"What was that?" asked Shikamaru.

"Nothing" sighed Yami, _'How can such a smart person be so dense when it comes to women? I wish he didn't miss out on getting the talk with Yoshino… I am too embarrassed to say that I heard it through the shadows out of curiosity'_ she thought.

"Come on, you promised me that you would tell me if you had any problems" said Shikamaru, "You shouldn't lie to yourself or to me you know?"

Yami turned her head to look at Shikamaru's roguish smile before she sighed in defeat, "I just want to see what it feels like…" she mumbled softly.

"What?" said Shikamaru as he rubbed his ears to make sure that he didn't hear things incorrectly.

"I said… I want to know what a true kiss feels like" said Yami loudly with a bright red blush adorning her pale face.

"Oh… I see, I suppose I can do that, since I wasn't able to get you a present and all…" said Shikamaru shyly as he slowly brought his face closer to Yami, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Yami just sealed his lips with hers in response to the question. The instant their lips met, Yami felt a soft tingling feeling blossoming in her chest. Working on instinct she inserted her tongue into Shikamaru's mouth, allowing herself to sink into the kiss. The two tongues wrestle for a bit before they finally break the kiss for air.

"Wow" said Shikamaru as he gasped for air, "What was that?"

"I don't know, but it was nice" replied Yami who brought her fingers to touch her lips, _'And I am so doing this again after Hinata has her turn'_

While the other two did not know of her, she wasn't going to cheat on whatever rules the two had established. She was a contestant for Shikamaru's heart as well after all.

"So how about that spar?" asked Yami.

"Yeah sure" said a dazed Shikamaru.

It was a tough battle for one Shikamaru who could not seem to get his head in gear... but he still managed to win… barely… maybe that kiss took a lot of his attention afterall...

* * *

As soon as the bell ended in class, Naruto and Hinata dragged out a sleeping Shikamaru with Choji following closely, laughing the entire way. The group hung out at their usual spot underneath the big cherry blossom tree with Shikamaru feigning sleep, Naruto and Hinata gazing at the clouds, and Choji casually eating another bag of chips.

"You know, doesn't it seem odd that the academy hasn't taught us anything useful since Iruka taught us to unlock our chakra?" asked Naruto, "After he did he was transferred to teach History instead"

"It is almost like the academy doesn't want us to learn…" said Hinata.

"Actually, that is true. The higher ups of the academy used to be run by the council in order to increase efficiency in the administrative structure of Konoha. In order to empower their own army, they didn't want Konoha's shinobi to be that strong so it would be easier to rebel when the time came. At least that is what the records say" said Shikamaru calmly, "The council exercised its last rights over the academy due to the 2nd Hokage once giving the academy to the council for them to run. Since it was not a corrupt dealing, the 3rd could not stop them from keeping the academy. Soon I assume the teachers and students will be given a choice whether to join the council and be trained or be ostracised by their peers"

"What can we do?" asked Choji.

"Not much right now. The Konoha's original charter is tied to this school. You can't become a shinobi unless you either graduate from the academy or receive special recommendation from a Chunin as well as approval from the Hokage. We have our hands tied in this for now. Iruka would have already nominated us but the problem is that a Chunin can only nominate one person per year of teaching experience. This was done so that inexperienced Chunin and other people could not take advantage of the system to promote family members to receive ninja benefits" said Shikamaru with a sigh, "Basically we need to wait for another 3 years before we can get out of here since Iruka already has one year of practice assistant teaching experience, though that is if we were to make an exceptional four-man squad... I can't imagine the four of us not being together"

"Wait, I thought the council was stripped of all of its rights and properties?" asked Hinata.

"Individual ones yes. At first that was true until some of the council found out that the academy was given to them to manage by the 2nd Hokage. It is not actually theirs but they have full control over it. That is why they have the academy education system being so boring and crappy" responded Shikamaru, "The main threat is gone but this is not so easily changed. Until all the council members die, they will still have rights to the Academy. I think that the 2nd Hokage was crazy to sign over control of one of the main military assets but it was probably a good idea during the time as he was busy with war and all…"

"Oh that sucks dattebayo!" said a frustrated Naruto, "We are gonna spend 3 years doing nothing!"

"One of those years is almost over so technically it will only take another 2 years… even in the mines they can do this much damage" said Hinata who was also not happy with the result.

"Only the ones who have debts are in the mines, everyone else is either staying on the academy grounds or at some other place of residence, probably plotting revenge" said Shikamaru.

"Well, look on the bright side, we still get to hang out and not get split up into teams" said Choji with a strained smile on his face.

"Yeah, I suppose that is nice" said Shikamaru, "I don't wanna get put in a team with some strangers who hate me and honestly, I don't want to reform the Ino-Shika-Cho formation this year. Choji is awesome but Ino… She is a real troublesome woman"

"Yeah" said Choji, "She was alright before but now… I don't think I can stand a girl who shouts and screams every time she talks"

"What happened between you three anyway?" asked Hinata curiously, "Everyone has heard of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio in every generation. Why did you guys separate? You three were raised together weren't you?"

"Yeah we were… But Ino decided that she didn't like how we weren't always following her around. Both Choji and I like to take things slow and enjoy what we have, Ino liked to run outside and have an adventure. We didn't mind adventures now and then but she wouldn't let us stop at all" replied Shikamaru, "looking forward is good but if you don't stop to appreciate what you have, you miss the little details that make life less troublesome. As soon as she found other friends, she drifted away. When she got too far ahead, she cut us off. She didn't appreciate us so we let her go"

"Yeah… It was hard at first but when she finally called me a fatso and Shikamaru a lazy ass, we both knew she didn't think to look deeper into us. Probably because she was always going so fast" said Choji.

"Oh… Shikamaru, do you think that I go too fast?" asked Naruto shyly knowing that her slightly hyperactive nature doesn't like to let her stay still.

"If you are thinking about the similarities between you and Ino then you can stop. You know when to slow down and stop. While you don't ground yourself, you let yourself relax and enjoy the simple things. You are more like wind while Ino is more like lightning. You can be fast but only when you want to, other times you are a soft breeze. Ino is fast, never stopping and only there for a blink. Never noticing where she is going, never taking care to understand anything deeper" said Shikamaru confidently, "I wouldn't be surprised if your element actually was wind"

Naruto blushed at her description before she allowed herself a scream of triumph, "Dattebayo! It would be so cool if I was... I am just glad that I am different!"

"What about me Shikamaru? What is my element?" asked Choji.

"Fire no doubt. An inferno when angered but a soft warm glow when kind. You are the symbol of warmth and you light up dark sombre moods" said Shikamaru, "Plus you seem to like the chilli sauce on your barbeque a lot" he joked.

"Oh, what about me Shika-kun?" asked Hinata, curious as to what element Shikamaru would deem her.

"I think that you are more water type than anything. Calm and content, flexible in her ways and compromising is one of your features. You are cool and calm but easily disturbed by the slightest change in your life, meaning you get easily flustered" teased Shikamaru as Hinata blushed at the jab, "You are however, not easily swayed unless the person has a solid argument, similar to how you can't carry water if your container has a hole in it, even then if the person does not hold you well, you will spill out the sides"

"Wow that is awesome dattebayo!" exclaimed Naruto, "Sometimes I am really amazed by your analysis abilities"

"What about you Shikamaru? What would your element be" asked Choji.

"I really don't know anymore, I used to think that I was earth but now… I have changed so much that I can't even tell anymore" said Shikamaru, "Once we get some chakra paper we can find out officially"

The group nodded in agreement as Sakura and her gang approached the group.

"I see this is where the losers are… This place is too good for you lot, sit somewhere else" commanded Sakura, "Besides I don't see anyone else named after this tree so we should be here"

"Oh you're a tree, big deal. Leave us alone, we got here first" said Naruto angrily, annoyed that these brats had to ruin the atmosphere.

"Don't you know who you are talking to? We are the prettiest girls in the academy!" said Ami Toharu, a civilian born girl who was a shallow and jealous individual.

Shikamaru opened his eyes slightly from his sleep and deliberately stared at them hard before he closed his eyes back shut, "Meh, I have seen better"

"W-Why you!" said an outraged Ami.

"You should count yourself lucky to even be able to talk to us" said Yuko Misaka, "We top ladies talking to a loser like you"

"Whatever, just leave us alone you troublesome women" said Shikamaru lazily.

"No, we won't until you guys leave our new spot!" said Sakura, angry that the dead last would even defy his place in the hierarchy, "You guys should listen to us since we are your betters"

"Says who!" challenged Naruto defiantly.

"The academy!" replied Miharu Mizuki, "We are all ranked higher than you guys"

"That is too bad, now can you please leave?" said Hinata coldly but politely, "You are annoying"

"Just because you are an heiress doesn't mean you are better than us!" said Kumino Misaka, "I bet you are so weak that even the wind will blow you over"

"Just give us the spot!" screeched Sakura.

"Whatever, it is too troublesome to argue, let's go guys" said Shikamaru as he got up to leave.

Naruto looked as she was about to protest but a quick wink and a mischievous smirk from Shikamaru allowed her to know that Shikamaru had something up his sleeve.

While the girls smirked triumphantly at the retreating quartet, they didn't notice the paint bomb that was planted where Shikamaru was moments ago. Suddenly the paint bomb exploded spraying the entire group with multi-coloured paint, ruining the expensive dresses and accessories that they had worn to school. To make things worse, the school bell rang a second after the explosion of colour leaving no time for it to be washed up before class.

"SHIKAMARU!" screeched the girls as they glared daggers at the lazy form that had entered the school building.

"Hahaha that was awesome dattebayo!" laughed Naruto.

"I have been meaning to ask, but what exactly is dattebayo?" asked Shikamaru curiously as they walked towards the door of their class.

"Oh…" said an embarrassed Naruto, "It is just something I say when I am excited… I don't know why though"

"Don't worry, it strangely fits you" said Hinata as Shikamaru and Choji nod in agreement.

"On other news, here comes the rainbow girls" said Shikamaru as the multi-coloured girls stomped into Iruka's classroom, searching for any sign of Shikamaru.

They spotted that Shikamaru was sitting at the back and they charged over to deal some revenge on Shikamaru. In their anger, they didn't notice a small tendril of shadow rise from the ground and trip them just as they were near Sasuke. Immediately the girls tripped and fell on each other, smearing Sasuke with paint due to their proximity to the boy.

The class erupted in laughter as Sasuke scowled at the mess on his clothes. Iruka stifled his laughter before telling the girls and Sasuke to go clean up. Ashamed and embarrassed, the girls gave Shikamaru one last glare before they shot off to clean themselves off. Ino just laughed at her former group and stared dreamily at Sasuke as he left.

" _Have I ever told you how much I love your shadow powers?"_ asked Shikamaru, _"Cus being able to make shadows 3D is awesome"_

" _No but you are very welcome Shika-kun" replied Yami_

* * *

Since the paint incident, Sakura and her group would constantly glare at Shikamaru and attempt to get revenge through use of pranks. Unfortunately they were at a massive disadvantage as they not only had no experience at pranking, but their attempts would normally backfire without any interference from Shikamaru.

One example was when they tried to put glue on Shikamaru's seat the day before only to find out that the substitute teacher wanted everyone to sit in different places as they wanted to separate Shikamaru and Naruto. Sakura and her gang were all coincidentally placed on Shikamaru's bench. When they were forced to sit down, they got their dresses stuck due to their troubles. Due to this the substitute teacher was too preoccupied with the girls to notice everyone else sitting with their friends again.

Shikamaru simply pretended not to notice any of the failed attempts since they had not actually created a prank that would actually succeed however he always kept track of whatever pranks they made, just to make sure that if ever they get lucky and do succeed he would be there to disrupt the plan. Overall, he was cautious but not worried. In fact he was more worried about Hinata's birthday in 3 days which was a formal event at the Hyuga compound. He was going to have to dress formally and he was going to have to learn how to dance. It was the first time that Shikamaru has been invited to a formal event and he didn't want to embarrass Hinata by being a poor guest no matter how troublesome it would be to learn.

"Okay, right foot forward, left foot forward, side and close" said Yoshino, as she instructed both Naruto and Shikamaru while Choji was learning with help from Ayako.

"Why is this so hard?" complained Naruto as she accidentally stepped on Shikamaru's toes again.

"Come now, as a Shinobi you should be able to accurately place your foot in the right position all the time, just think of it was a mission" said Yoshino encouragingly.

"I picked it up pretty quick" laughed Shikamaru before Naruto once again stepped on his feet.

"Not everyone has your intellect and skill in climbing trees to help them" said Naruto as she gave him another glare before she returned her attention to her feet.

"Just keep practicing your movements, you will be good in no time" said Yoshino, "Just think of it as one of your pranks, you are going to need fancy footwork to avoid some traps and place your prank bomb"

Naruto could see began to focus and pretended that it was all one of her pranks. Each step was to avoid hitting a trip wire in the academy teacher's lounge. Eventually she started to avoid Shikamaru's feet and allowed Shikamaru's hand to guide her actions. A twist here, a step there, and twirl.

"Good job, you actually managed to do it perfectly!" exclaimed Yoshino, "A little more practice and you should be ready for the party"

"Troublesome" said Shikamaru as he sat down to rub his sore feet, "I think you broke something"

Naruto just looked at Shikamaru sheepishly and sputtered apologies.

"Now that you two are okay, I think I will go and check on Choji" said Yoshino as she looked at the wincing Ayako and the apologetic Choji.

* * *

"Kabuto, while it is amusing that Danzo has failed to live up to his expectations, we still need funding for sound. I need you to capture an unsealed Hyuga" said Orochimaru.

"A Hyuga? But what about your plan for the Sharingan?" asked Kabuto.

"Fool, we need funds for our village, selling a bloodline will allow for me to conduct my experiments as well as fund the village. Especially since it is such a prominent bloodline such as the Hyuga. We can't exactly sell the main specimen of our test" replied Orochimaru as his hand twitched erratically for a second.

"Yes sir, but the Uchiha?" asked Kabuto carefully.

"While an Uchiha would be preferable, they are under heavy scrutiny and are probably going to be very cautious about whom they let in their compound" said Orochimaru as he doubled over in a cough before he continued, "If I can clone a Hyuga or make them a breeding factory, we will have an unlimited supply of both funds and experimental material. If not, I can always sell or use their eyes. You must not fail me"

"Yes sir" said Kabuto obediently, "From what I have heard, the Hyuga are having a party to celebrate Hinata Hyuga's birthday. Security will be tight but the seals that detect foreign chakras will have to be turned off. I will be able to slip into the compound with my skills due to the lack of seals"

"Excellent" smirked Orochimaru, "If you get the opportunity, get an Uchiha too. I would love to have the Sharingan under my control"

"Yes my lord" responded Kabuto.

"Before you depart, get me another body. This one is already starting to reject me" said Orochimaru as he winces when flakes of his skin started to crumble off of his body leaving bloody stains on his clothes.

"Well we only have one strong enough for your strength standards my lord" said Kabuto slowly.

"Well then bring him in" said Orochimaru dismissively.

"But-" began Kabuto before Orochimaru gave him a glare filled with killing intent, "Right at once sir"

As Kabuto called in someone from the background Orochimaru winced as ever cell in his body started to self-destruct in an attempt to take him down with it. Each step was starting to become impossible and each movement was becoming heavier and heavier.

"Here she is Orochimaru-sama" as he gestured to a bound and screaming missing-nin of Kusa. Her dark hair was a mess and she looked as if she was locked up for days. Dried blood matted her skin and her blood-shot eyes glanced everywhere for a chance to escape, "She is Kura Midori, missing-nin wanted for the murder of an entire orphanage. She proceeded to do… things to the corpses of the children. We captured her when she was drunk and slaughtering a bunch of our shinobi who had tried to recruit her. We lost an entire battalion. As a high A-ranked missing-nin, I think she will suit your purpose"

"Is this a joke? Are there no more suitable males?" asked Orochimaru in rage before he doubled over, coughing blood onto the floor of his lab, "Never mind, she will have to do…"

With that said Orochimaru quickly marked the kunoichi with his Cursed Seal of Heaven, relishing in her muffled screams of pain before he allowed the chakra anchor to take his entire soul, pulling it from his currently decaying body. He momentarily fought for control of the body before the kunoichi broke; her weakened state unable to fight his soul any longer.

"Well, it certainly feels weird" said Orochimaru softly as he slithered out of his restraints, "My snake jutsu seems to work better with this body and there seems to be an extra amount of compatibility between me and this body… Strange"

Kabuto just hoped that Orochimaru would not decide to punish him again for following orders.

"My voice sounds different as well. My balance is a little… off but that can be easily adjusted with frequent use" said Orochimaru who had noticed his/her voice become more silky and feminine as well as her two breasts tipping her balance by a slight bit before she turned to face Kabuto, "I will not punish you for now, but if you don't complete your mission, then your punishment will be doubled"

Kabuto nodded and sighed in relief at the sweet saucy sound of his master's voice. _'Well that is one crisis adverted, I hope he… she… okay I'll just stick with he for now… he doesn't take on any female hormone problem, he is a bitch to deal with already… insane too'_

* * *

Kabuto had successfully evaded detection from any ANBU that were currently patrolling the slums. He was able to avoid any former ROOT who might have recognised him and he took no risks when it came to covering his tracks. The entrance to the village he used was a small loophole only known to him and Danzo. Danzo had it made especially for him to sneak out on missions while maintaining his cover as a civilian. Since Danzo was now dead, the only person who knew of the route was himself.

He scrunched up his nose at the foul smells of the slums as he hid in the covers of darkness. He looked around and saw a figure of an old man slowly approaching his position. While it would be easier to just kill the man, an investigation lead by ANBU is not something he needs. Not only that but it might just change any existing patrol routes leaving him at a great disadvantage. Thinking quickly he produced the henge technique to disguise as a drunkard who was passed out by the wall.

"Bloody drunks" said the old man as he passed by before the man looked around for any witnesses. The old man spat on Kabuto before he quickly ran out of the alley.

Kabuto was eventually able to take on the guise as an unassuming civilian similar to the missions he had once done under Danzo's command once the man had left. Wiping away the spittle he groaned in disgust.

"If I meet that man again, I am going to kill him… slowly" grumbled Kabuto before he slipped into an old abandoned building to start his operations. Popping out his spyglass, he turned its direction towards the Hyuga compound, making sure to keep the reflective surface out of the moonlight.

He had once mapped border patrols and the terrain under Danzo's guidance so mapping the routes of the ANBU near the Hyuga clan, a well-protected clan with many of its own warriors was easy since the ANBU had grown used to the might of the Hyuga.

' _How arrogant, this is what happens under such a weak-willed fool. Orochimaru will have no problem burning the leaf down when the time comes at this rate. I can' wait until we can take over the leaf. All we need to do is bide our time and wait until the Hidden Sand finally has no choice but to abandon their alliance. If all goes well, Konoha is as good as ashes'_ thought Kabuto with an arrogant smirk on his face, _'Enjoy your life while you can because there won't be much to enjoy once Orochimaru's plan blossoms'_

Kabuto slowly mapped the routes and habits of each of the ANBU before he began mapping out the patrols of the Hyuga branch members.

' _While they have their Byakugan on, they will eventually have to rest due to the chakra consumption of the eyes. All I need to do is observe how long on average it will take'_ thought Kabuto as he waited for the guard's veins around his eyes to retract. Sure enough after an hour of waiting, the guard's vein's retracted for a second before another guard took his place leaving a 2 second opening to be exploited.

While 2 seconds might not be enough time, it would be enough for Kabuto to silence and kill both guards before anyone would notice. From what he could tell, the guards only changed once an hour. This meant that he would have a window of an hour to kidnap an unsealed Hyuga and get out of there.

' _Plenty of time… I will have that Hyuga by tomorrow…'_ thought Kabuto.

* * *

"Alright, is everything ready? We are about to head out!" said Yoshino as she made last minuted adjustments to her kimono. Her kimono was cream in colour with orange maple leaves decorating the layers. The obi that held her kimono together was jet black to contrast with the light colours and match her dark hair.

"Yeah, one second!" replied Naruto as she struggled to put on her kimono, "Why are these things so hard to use?!" she screamed in frustration.

"Oh darling, you should have just accepted my help" said Yoshino as she entered Naruto's room and begun to fix the obi that held the Kimono together, "You don't want to be late to the party do you?"

"I know… but I want to show Shikamaru that I can do these things too" replied Naruto sadly.

"Aww… Come on sweetie, these things are hard to do. It takes years of practice to do up kimonos properly by yourself" said Yoshino comfortingly, "I remember I was just like you when I had to wear a kimono to Miyako-chan's birthday. I was a civilian girl with no prestige hoping to impress Shikaku Nara, the heir to the Nara clan… It was very frustrating not being able to put a dress on"

"Where did you learn how to do it?" asked Naruto curiously.

"I actually learnt it off my mother, she saw my troubles but decided to help me as well" replied Yoshino, "Just like how I am helping you now"

"So you will teach me someday as well?" asked Naruto hopefully.

"Yeah… promise" replied Yoshino, "There, you look stunning"

Naruto looked into the mirror to see a light orange kimono with gold Uzumaki swirls decorating her layers. She had a gold trimmed black obi on to complete the piece. Her hair was done up in a high ponytail with her mother's comb resting just above her ear. The black comb with gold kanji matched beautifully with her outfit.

"You think Shikamaru will like it?" asked Naruto shyly.

"I am sure he will sweetheart" replied Yoshino with a small laugh.

" _Are you sure I should cut it? It seems like too much effort"_ said Shikamaru as he looked at his messy ponytail in the mirror.

" _While you look alright with your hair up in a ponytail and everything, the haircut is necessary. Your hair is way too wild and messy for a formal event. You don't want to offend the host do you?"_ asked Yami as she manipulated the shadows into scissors, _"Don't worry, I promise not to make the hairstyle something that you will have to gel everyday"_

" _Fine, but you better make it easy to maintain or you are never cutting my hair again"_ said Shikamaru as he finally gave into Yami's request.

" _You won't regret it"_ said Yami cheerfully, _"Do you have any preferences?"_

" _Hmm… Shorter hair I guess… I really couldn't care less right now. I have a present to give and everything"_ said Shikamaru as he let his eyes rest on the silver bracelet that he had crafted for Hinata.

" _Alright then, you asked for it"_ said Yami mischievously before she buzzed through the hair in a quick speed, nearly making Shikamaru take control of the new shadows in surprise. After a second Yami was done with her job… speechless at what she had created.

" _Wow… I look good"_ said Shikamaru as he saw that his sides were much shorter but still of acceptable length while the top of his hair was slicked back. It was spiky due to it previously being trapped in a haphazard ponytail. Due to his eyes no longer having the lazy squinty look, he could pass for a completely different person. He quickly slicked back his sides to match his spiky top before he nodded in content.

" _What do you think Yami?"_ asked Shikamaru as he brushed the excess hair off of his shoulders casually.

" _Well I'll be damned… You were actually a prince hiding in disguise!"_ accused Yami as she tried to keep her embarrassment out of her tone, _"Why the hell didn't you cut your hair earlier?"_

" _Too troublesome"_ replied Shikamaru nonchalantly as he began to put on his suit.

" _After tonight you are using genjutsu to hide your hair… I know you know henge already"_ said Yami seriously.

" _What? Why? You were the one who wanted to cut my hair"_ complained Shikamaru as he put on his black dress shoes and white jacket with black lining.

" _Yeah, but I don't think you will appreciate being swamped by fangirls like Sasuke"_ said Yami while thinking, _'No more competition! I have enough on my plate with Naruto and Hinata'_

" _I don't look that good Yami, you'll see. The party will prove me right"_ said Shikamaru as he set out to meet his parents and Naruto in the entrance.

" _Yes… We will see"_ laughed Yami.

Shikaku expected many things from Shikamaru. He was a brilliant boy who was a rising prodigy who single-handedly stopping a corrupt council and saved both Hinata and Naruto. What he did not expect was for Shikamaru to get a haircut during the 15 mins that he left him to get dressed.

' _I wonder what I will look with a haircut'_ Shikaku thought absentmindedly.

"What's up with the new hair? I thought it was too troublesome to have it cut" asked Shikaku.

"Formal event… Never thought that I would say this but I had to get the cut in order to fit in with the formal party" replied Shikamaru, "Didn't want to go to the Hyuga's without looking presentable"

"Huh… You know you can just even up the ends and it would have been fine right?" asked Shikaku.

"Yeah… but it is fine right?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, I am sure Naruto is in for quite the shock" laughed Shikaku.

As soon as Shikaku said that, Shikamaru was greeted to the sight of Naruto in her beautiful orange kimono with her hair done up and the slightest hint of makeup on her face. Naruto on the other hand was greeted with the sight of Shikamaru 2.0… and she liked it…

"Woah… who are you and what have you done to my son" accused Yoshino jokingly as she gave Shikamaru a once over before leaping up in joy, "My son has finally gotten a haircut!"

"You know… I don't know what brought this on… but I like it" said Naruto shyly as she looked at Shikamaru's new form.

"Well it is a formal party, I couldn't exactly go in my usual attire" said Shikamaru, "You on the other hand, look very nice"

Naruto blushed at the compliment before she looped her arm around Shikamaru's and started to urge him towards the Hyuga compound.

"I got myself a handsome prince! I can't wait to show Hinata" exclaimed Naruto as she eagerly rushed out dragging Shikamaru along with her.

"Don't expect me to get a haircut anytime soon. I don't think you will appreciate it if that happened to me on the street" laughed Shikaku.

"Yeah… Not happening… although you can henge it when we leave the house" said Yoshino slyly.

"You aren't going to let this go are you?" asked Shikaku tiredly.

"Nope… I wanna get my handsome prince too" laughed Yoshino.

"Fine… but you are the one who has to cut it… I am not going to one of those barbers" said Shikaku defiantly.

"Of course honey" replied Yoshino.

* * *

Hinata was nervous. She fiddled with her lavender kimono and white obi as she waited for the appearance of Shikamaru and Naruto. Her younger sister was by her side, impatiently waiting for the arrival of the first guests. All of the major clans were invited and it was an insult to not attend.

The Uchiha's had already arrived with Sasuke scowling at the notion of having to be here. Her father was casually talking with Fugaku about one thing or another. The Akimichi's and Ayako had also arrived and were eating at the buffet already. The Aburame's were also here with Shino, her quiet classmate observing the scene quietly. The Hokage himself had decided to attend along with his son Asuma and his grandson Konohamaru who was also stuffing his face. Those yet to arrive include the Inuzuka's, the Nara, and the Yamanaka's.

"Hey sis, when am I going to be able to meet your friends?" asked Hanabi curiously.

"They should be arriving any minute now" replied Hinata.

"The Nara Clan has arrived!" announced a Hyuga guard as he opened the door to reveal Shikaku and Yoshino with Naruto and Shikamaru trailing behind.

Instantly Hinata noticed the massive change in Shikamaru's appearance. His normally haphazard ponytail was gone and in its place was spiky slicked back hair that matched his face perfectly. His clothes were no longer the baggy T-shirt and shorts but instead a sharp form fitting suit that displayed his wiry form. She could not help but gasp in surprise.

"Hey Hinata! You as surprised as I was?" asked a grinning Naruto as she gently nudged her side.

Hinata could only nod in response as her face turned red in embarrassment.

"Hey Shika-kun, you look different" she said shyly.

"Well, it was a formal event so…" responded Shikamaru with a shrug, "What do you think?"

"I like it a lot!" shouted Hanabi as she gave Shikamaru a once over, "I can't believe that my sister would know such a prince! You look even better than the broody boy over in the corner"

"Hanabi!" scolded Hinata before she smiled at her friends apologetically, "This is my little sister, Hanabi Hyuga, and I am older than her by two years"

"Don't need to rub it in" said Hanabi with a huff.

"Nice to meet you Hanabi-chan" greeted Naruto with a smile, "I am Naruto Uzumaki dattebayo!"

"I am Shikamaru Nara, we are your sister's best friends" greeted Shikamaru with a bow.

"Nice to meet you" replied Hanabi, her gaze lingering on Shikamaru for a moment longer.

"So where are Choji and Ayako?" asked Shikamaru.

"Eating food over there" replied Hinata as she gestured to the duo that was lost in the world of food.

Upon hearing their names both Choji and Ayako turned towards Shikamaru and dropped whatever food they had in surprise. They immediately rushed over and looked over Shikamaru's form before they finally responded.

"Wow… You look completely different Shikamaru" said Choji in surprise, "Here I thought that Sasuke was the only handsome one us guys had to worry about"

"You look good, but you could do with a little more meat on you" said Ayako.

"Do I really look that different?" said Shikamaru in confusion.

"Yeah, you do" said Mikoto as she moved closer to the group, "I think my son has a new rival"

"Haha, I think you mean Sasuke, not me" laughed Itachi as he and Fugaku joined them, leaving Sasuke to his brooding.

"You know, I'd say you rank up there with Itachi in the looks department" said Izumi to Shikamaru as she wrapped her arms around Itachi.

"If only the elders didn't brainwash him with their ideals" grumbled Fugaku.

"It is okay honey, it will get better" replied Mikoto.

"I bet Ino is going to freak when she sees you" said Asami as she joined into the group, dragging her husband away from the food table.

"I bet she won't even know it is Shikamaru" said Shikaku.

"No bet, even we know he looks different" laughed Mikoto.

"I hope you aren't trying to steal away both of my daughters young Nara" joked Hiashi as he also joined in.

"The Yamanaka Clan and the Inuzuka Clan have arrived!" announced the guard as once again the doors swung open to reveal Inoichi, Miyako, Ino, Kiba, Kiba's sister Hana, and the Matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan Tsume.

"Stop harassing the young Yamanaka pup, you are embarrassing our family" scolded Tsume as she disciplined her son.

Kiba was dragged to the side with a yelp as Tsume gave him a stern lecture about etiquette. Ino, on the other hand, was disgusted with Kiba before she saw Sasuke and instantly dashed over to talk to the brooding boy. Both Inoichi and Miyako sighed and joined the group.

"My daughter sure is a handful" sighed Inoichi tiredly, "She spent 3 hours on makeup and her dress to impress the Uchiha. She ended up not deciding and eventually we ended up running late. We were almost late for the party since she decided to change shoes last minute and spent 10 min trying to find the right pair"

"Please don't tell me I was this bad when I was young" said Miyako tiredly.

"Sorry, I can't" smirked Yoshino.

"I guess this is karma" laughed Asami.

Miyako and Inoichi glared at the two before they noticed Shikamaru's new look.

"Wow, you really clean up good young man" said Inoichi, impressed with Shikamaru's transformation, "I bet Ino won't even recognise you now"

"My little Shika-chan is all handsome now! I bet Ino will kick herself once she sees you" gushed Miyako.

"How about young Shikamaru pretends he is someone else and we see if Ino recognises him" suggested Shikaku, "I bet Ino won't recognise him at all"

"Fine, I'll take you on in this bet. Loser pays 5000 ryo to the winner" said Inoichi, "My daughter may not be the smartest but I am sure that she will at least recognise her childhood friend"

With that, everyone decided to take bets on if Ino would notice or not. All of the women as well as Inoichi and Choji had bet that Ino would recognise Shikamaru, claiming that it was impossible that she would not. While Naruto, Hinata, Hanabi, Hiashi, Itachi, Hiruzen, and Shikaku all decided she would not. Choza was on the fence and Shikamaru didn't care as long as he didn't have to do too much work.

"I'll do it but what is my alias going to be?" asked Shikamaru curiously.

"Let's say that you are Akihisa Nara, Shikamaru's cousin if she asks" said Inoichi.

"Fine, but I am not going out of my way to talk to her" responded Shikamaru.

"We didn't expect you to son" laughed Shikaku, "Glad to see some of your laziness has not completely disappeared"

"I am only lazy when it doesn't matter dad" laughed Shikamaru.

"Oh yeah, we might as well give our gifts to Hinata right now. The rest can give their gifts to Hinata later. Friends first am I right?" said Yoshino with a wink to Hinata, seeing her eye her son when she thinks he is not looking. Hinata blushed in return and nodded eagerly making all the adults laugh.

"Well from the Uchiha we have a music box to store all of your jewellery" said Fugaku as he presented a white wood box with the name Hinata engraved carefully on the top, "I have a feeling you will need it for any wedding or engagement jewellery you will get in the future" he said as he gave Hinata a teasing wink making her blush like a red tomato.

"On behalf of the Yamanaka, we have book all about the flowers that you love so much, Yoshino told us how you loved flower pressing" said Inoko as she handed her the book.

"The Akimichi have brought you a book about basic cooking recipes. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" laughed Choza as he handed the book to the blushing girl who bowed in thanks.

"As your father, I am proud to give you your own flower garden, right outside. It was Hanabi's idea though. I just had the space removed and it is just dirt but it is for you to grow your own plants. I am sure Inoichi and Miyako would love to give you tips on gardening" said Hiashi happily.

Hinata rushed up and gave Hiashi a big hug before she gave him a kiss on the cheek in thanks, happy that she would be able to grow her own herbs and flowers. She also gave her little sister a hug as well, making her blush and run away in embarrassment.

"From the Sarutobi Clan, I give you a pendant. It is a shiny silver pendant that has a seal that shows you whatever image you desire. As long as you can think of it, it shall be shown" said Hiruzen happily.

"Thank you Hokage-sama, I will treasure this gift" Hinata said with a bow.

"None of that now, just call me Jiji like how Naruto does, I am not just an old man with a hat you know" laughed Hiruzen as Hinata nodded in acceptance.

"Well, Ayako and I thought that you might like something to help you in your career so we got you a bow! Now you can put your excellent eyesight to use" said Choji happily.

"Thank you very much you two" Hinata said happily as she accepted the bow and gave the both of them a hug.

"Hey Hinata, I know that we still have another present for you later but for now, here is a communication journal. The two are linked by replica seals that are connected to each other. Whatever you write in here will appear on the other journal. Both Shikamaru and I have one so you can talk to us anywhere. The first page is to communicate with me while the second page is for Shikamaru. The journal erases itself after every conversation and it notifies you when you have new messages with its cover changing colour. You can't save conversations yet but it is a work in progress, Shikamaru's working on that part" said Naruto happily explaining her invention.

"Thank you Naruto" Hinata said and she gave Naruto a big embrace, "You really are my best friend"

"Aww of course I am dattebayo!" exclaimed Naruto happily before she whispered to Hinata quietly, "We will show you the secret spot tomorrow"

"Got it" replied Hinata quietly as she turned her gaze towards Shikamaru who had his hands behind his back.

"I made another matching bracelet for you, similar to Naruto's. It senses evil intent and it will never be stolen from you as long as you are wearing it" said Shikamaru proudly as he presented her with a beautiful silver bracelet with the Hyuga symbol engraved in it.

Hinata squealed in delight as she quickly nicked her hand to place some blood on the seal. As soon as she was done she immediately put it on and admired its glow in the light.

"Thank you Shikamaru" Hinata said sincerely as she grabbed Shikamaru into a kiss. Shikamaru remembered how Yami had once kissed him and decided to put it into practice. He nibbled on Hinata's lower lip gently before he inserted his tongue into her mouth, pushing all of the sensitive spots that he remembered Yami having.

Hinata was in heaven, she never thought that kissing would feel this good. Shikamaru's kiss for her was completely different to how he was when Naruto kissed him. Back then, he was surprised and unprepared, a sweet and gentle kiss, this new kiss was stirring her up in ways unknown to her. When she finally broke the kiss, she was left hot and bothered and blushing like a tomato.

Everyone looked at Shikamaru in shock as they essentially saw Shikamaru make out with Hinata. Hiashi didn't know if he should kill the boy for defiling his daughter or congratulate him for making his daughter happy. As a man he also felt as if he should be congratulating his future son in law for being such a good kisser… Everyone was amazed at how good Shikamaru was at kissing after only one time to their knowledge.

Naruto took one look at Hinata's glassy-eyed state and said, "I want one like that"

Everyone laughed uncomfortably.

"Yoshino… you did give Shikamaru the talk right" said Shikaku cautiously.

"I thought you were going to do it" said Yoshino in embarrassment, "I handled the girls after all."

"You brought it on yourself, after this is over you are giving Shikamaru the talk" said Shikaku seriously.

"Yes darling" sighed Yoshino before she looked at Shikaku with incredibly cute eyes, "Are you sure you can't do me a favour?"

Both Choza and Inoichi laughed at Shikaku and made whipping gestures to mock their long-time friend.

"Fine… if Choza and Inoichi give the talk to their children" said Shikaku, hoping that he could at least take his comrades down with him.

"TRAITOR!" shouted Choza and Inoichi as they were met with the cute pleading looks of their wives.

"Karma" replied Shikaku with a smirk.

* * *

Kabuto was gazing at the Hyuga compound in frustration. Without the inside information that ROOT had gotten from the now deceased elders, his infiltration got much harder. It also seems that the clan head wasn't as big on tradition and routine as the decrepit old fossils that used to run the clan. The patrol routes, as well as the guards have completely changed from the day before making his past days of observation completely useless. The guard force had also increased their numbers due to the Hokage's personal ANBU joining the force. He did not anticipate the Hokage visiting as well.

His plan was failing spectacularly. The guests have all entered without him being able to take advantage of the diversion due to the guard change as well as the complete remapping of patrol routes. There was no way to enter or escape without someone noticing. Orochimaru will likely kill him if he returns to the hideout empty handed and right now, it seems as if death was eminent.

' _The patrol routes are now randomised, the guards are paired up, if I take out one patrol then another will probably find them within 5 to 10 min due to the increase in the number of guards. That time window will not allow me a proper escape should they find me and I will likely compromise my identity making Orochimaru lose her last spy in the leaf. This will make her extremely displeased even if my mission was a success. What I need is a big diversion and I need it soon'_ he thought.

He looked around for any opportunities before he spied a bunch of drunk, angry, and irritated former councilmen walking towards the Hokage tower with a drunken swagger and spouting off their importance to everyone in their vicinity.

' _Perfect'_ thought a smirking Kabuto.

Raisei Kojin had been a councillor for over 20 years. That was a quarter of his life. He had dutifully done his job for the first 5 years before he decided that he should be able to have power as well. From his point of view, the Hokage was too stupid to take advantage of all the dealings that could have been made to bolster finances and the financial position of Konoha. Hiruzen was also too weak to deal with threats to the village and raise the power of Konoha to show the world how strong they really are. Thus he sided with Danzo and his darker method that produced magnificent results.

Raisei had his own fortune, a small private army gifted to him by Danzo, a mass amount of women, and a grand mansion. Everything was perfect until Hiruzen got hold of Danzo's dealings. The money was gone, stolen from under Danzo's seemingly impenetrable vault. His army had disbanded to join the Hokage's forces, which revealed all of his dealings with the red light district using council money. His women had all left him since he was now broke. The mansion was taken by the Hokage and was probably going to be sold to pay for all of his fines. He was just barely able to escape a prison sentence due to the mansion and its contents. He organised a small get together of the former council to discuss their options. In his drunken stupor he shouted that he would go to the Hokage to demand their rights as council members to take full control of the Shinobi Academy instead of the majority control that they have using the headmaster as their proxy. While some were too drunk to do more than nod, most of the others were jubilant and with a large war cry, they embarked on their journey to the tower.

The group were shouting and screaming their importance to every passer-by that could hear them, making sure to scream extra loud to make sure the people in homes could hear them as well. Suddenly they were overcome with a feeling of rage and retribution towards the blank-faced Hyuga who stood guard at their compound. They should all be grovelling at their feet. The council had full control over their actions through the clan elders. Raisei being their leader, decided to rectify this fact.

"You there guard, on your knees. Grovel to the might of the council" he yelled with the other members screaming encouragement.

"The Hyuga grovel to no one" replied the guard blankly.

"Then you shall face retribution" screamed Raisei as he turned to address the former council members, "We at the height of our power made these mangy dogs lie, sit, and beg. Together we shall do it again! For the council!"

"For the council!" screamed the members with the false confidence from the alcohol and burning rage from Kabuto's genjutsu as they charged towards the compound.

' _My ticket in, like taking candy from a baby'_ smirked a concealed Kabuto as he sneaked around the side of the compound to enter.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hey guys, new chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. There were some complications on where the story is going after this but I will do my best to satisfy you all. Review and favourite if you haven't already and follow if you want regular notifications.

 **Support me at: www. patr eon. com (slash) StatusInc**


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